Louis Cato

Louis Cato’s path to becoming bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert began at age two, when he first took to playing the drums. Immersed in gospel and contemporary Christian music, he honed his craft from his native North Carolina to the Berklee College of Music, where his deep musicality and versatility set him apart and eventually landed him in New York City. Since then, Cato has built a reputation as a Grammy-nominated, internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter, celebrated for his rare ability to shape sound into timeless work. He has collaborated with an eclectic range of artists, including Bobby McFerrin, James Taylor, Q-Tip, Jon Batiste, and St. Vincent. After two decades spent elevating others’ music, Cato stepped forward with his own voice on his debut solo album Starting Now (2017), followed by Reflections (2023). In 2024 he brought his Instagram cover series to streaming audiences with Cato Covers, Vol.1. The momentum continued in 2025 with the release of his singles “Space” and “Black Man Blues”, each track showcasing his signature approach of playing every instrument himself. Alongside his nightly role on The Late Show, Cato continues to bring his music to audiences across the country.

Philip Kuehn is an accomplished bassist, arranger, composer, producer, and educator whose career spans more than two decades across the concert stage, recording studio, and classroom. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he has worked with renowned artists including Quincy Jones, Jon Batiste, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., Take 6, and Roy Hargrove. His artistry is featured on the Grammy-winning Pixar film Soul, and he collaborated with Quincy Jones on arrangements for the Beethoven Orchester Bonn in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary.

Kuehn has appeared with Jon Batiste at the White House State Dinner for President Biden and performed regularly with Batiste’s ensembles, including the “Stay Human” band associated with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In addition to performing and arranging, he is an experienced educator and producer, having held faculty and leadership roles at Five Towns College, The University of Scranton, and Snow College. Currently based on Long Island, NY, Philip continues to perform, teach, arrange, and produce for artists and audiences worldwide.

Mary Ellen Stebbins (Lighting Design) is a New York City–based lighting designer whose work spans theater, dance, opera, music, and live events. Collaborations include MCC Theater, Primary Stages, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theater, Opera Philadelphia, Juilliard, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Opera, as well as artists and creators such as Theresa Rebeck, Clare Barron, A$AP Rocky, Adrienne Truscott, Monica Bill Barnes, CYI Studio, and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*.) Recent highlights of her work include the lighting design for a 2023 performance at the Mammoth Cave by the Louisville Orchestra and Chamber Choir, featuring star cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Shimmer and Herringbone with Talking Band in their 50th season. She was a 2020 Bessie Award Honoree for her work on Monica Bill Barnes’s Days Go By and received a Henry Hewes Award nomination for her lighting design for Clare Barron’s I’ll Never Love Again. Her additional honors include the Opera America Tobin Director-Designer Prize, Live Design’s Young Designer to Watch, the USITT Barbizon Lighting Design Award, and a Hangar Theatre Lab Company Design Fellowship. Mary Ellen holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.F.A. from Boston University. She is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and currently teaches at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. www.maryellenstebbinsdesign.com

Shannon Slaton on Broadway has designed Melissa Etheridge: My Window and The Illusionists as well as being the Associate Designer for The Humans, Blackbird and serval other shows. He has also designed more than fifty national tours including: Shrek, The Producers, Kiss Me Kate, Noise/Funk, The Full Monty, Contact, A Chorus Line, Tap Dogs, Aeros, Sweeney Todd, The Wizard of Oz, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Wedding Singer. Shows he mixed on Broadway include: Springsteen on Broadway, Cabaret, Annie, and Anything Goes. Man of La Mancha, Bombay Dreams, A Christmas Carol, Sweet Charity, Jersey Boys, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening, Fela!, Anything Goes, Annie, Legally Blonde, and Cabaret.

Erin McCoy is a Production Stage Manager and Show Caller returning to Little Island for her fourth season. She has had the joy of calling a wide variety of productions, live events, and corporate experiences throughout New York City at venues including Little Island, The Plaza, Rainbow Room, PAC NYC, as well as venues nationally including Globe Life Field and Charles Krug Vineyard. She has had the privilege of show calling events for clients such as Sephora, Southwest Airlines, and Storm King Art Center. Recent productions include La Fille du Régiment for Festival Napa Valley at Charles Krug Winery and Radiolab Live at Little Island.