Kristopher Bowers (born 1989) is an American composer and pianist who has composed scores for film and television, including Dear White People and Kobe Bryant's Muse. He has worked with José James, Marcus Miller, and Kanye West. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 2011 and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in 2017 for The Snowy Day. 　　Bowers was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1989.His father is a film and television writer, and his mother is an executive at DirecTV.Although neither of his parents received more than a high school education,[time needed] they wanted their son to play the piano, so they played recordings of pianists while he was still in the womb. They sent him to lessons beginning at the age of 4.He had private classical music lessons starting at around the age of 9.He listened to "classic soul records and hip-hop before falling under the spell of jazz, classical music, and film scores."He studied jazz and classical piano at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts where his teachers included Mulgrew Miller and Donald Vega.He studied jazz at Colburn School for Performing Arts.He graduated in 2006 then attended Juilliard and obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in jazz performance.While a student, he performed frequently in New York City. 　　In the same year, he played on Watch the Throne, a Jay Z and Kanye West album.He then toured with Marcus Miller during 2012. He has collaborated with musicians in several genres. 　　In late 2013, he recorded his debut album Heroes + Misfits (Concord, 2014).An AllMusic reviewer commented that the pianist was "based in jazz but with an ear for contemporary R&B, film scores, and electronic music".The album premiered at No. 1 on the iTunes Jazz charts. 　　In 2014, Bowers performed at the International Jazz Day Concert in Japan,the Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain,[14] and at the London Jazz Festival. In 2016, Bowers was invited to perform at The White House for the International Jazz Day Concert hosted by President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama.