Holly Prest is a drummer and percussionist with Mr. Wilson’s Second Liners.

She is a director and educator based in Manchester, UK. Holly is an experienced performer, bringing a fizzy energy and big smiles to every drum set she commands.

She is the Artistic Director of Global Grooves, an inspirational Carnival arts NPO based in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Following more than 25 years of participation in and strategic development of Carnival arts, she has helped nurture and maintain lesser-known global music and dance traditions in a UK context. Her passion for sharing authentic Carnival-based grooves with enthusiastic emerging artists led to the development of the flagship youth arts leadership programme ‘Future Leaders’ which receives national acclaim. Holly has supported the development of many community bands around the UK. Holly co-teaches the Global Grooves weekly Bloco featuring percussionists, melody players, and dancers.

As an energetic and knowledgeable band leader, her performance group Juba do Leão offers one of the UK’s most unique fusion representations of Afro-Brazilian music from the Pernambuco region of Brazil, with a young collective of 8-18 year old musicians and dancers carving their own path alongside in the Jubacana project.

Since 2004, she has completed multiple study and performance trips focusing on cross-arts Carnival forms in Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, and The Gambia.

She has performed in street theatre shows around the world including Croatia, France, Nigeria, Germany, and Qatar.

As percussionist with trio Skutch Manos, she performed around the UK sharing her energetic and unique style of multi-percussion playing during the band’s time together. Holly is also a guest percussionist with the Girls That Mix collective.