Issaya Rouson Whitesides has been involved with music for as long as he can remember. He was introduced to all kinds of music by his father, a violinist and music teacher, and began his journey in percussion at 6 years old through djembe lessons at a local West African dance studio. Growing up in D.C. Issaya attended the Duke Ellington High School for the Arts where he studied under Davey Yarborough and received mentorship from jazz greats such as Winard Harper, Billy Taylor and Benny Golson. He studied Jazz/Commercial Drum Performance, classical percussion and recording techniques at Towson University under Frank Russo while learning piano and composition from local jazz pianist Jon Ozment. He later moved to Spain to complete a masters

in Music Production, Technology and Innovation at the Berklee College of Music Valencia Campus. During his time there he released his debut EP entitled North Capitol, a musical homage to his hometown which showcased his skills as a producer and multi-instrumentalist in collaboration with several DC-based artists.

He has performed with a wide range of musicians around the world including Kevin Mahogany, Ben Williams, Lee Smith, Lori Fulton, Larry McKenna, Randy Brecker, and local artists such as Dreamcast Moe, Elijah Jamal Balbed and Sam Prather’s Groove Orchestra. In recent years he has formed his own jazz trio and performed at multiple venues in the Greater Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia areas including the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Capital Fringe, the Howard Theatre, and SOUTH Kitchen and Jazz Parlor. He has also put out several self-produced projects and albums including the Singularity project, a trilogy of music videos showcasing live looping and music production which was later featured by Ableton. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. where he serves as a pianist at Overflow City Church and continues to lead his own jazz trio.