His composition teachers have included Evis Sammoutis, Dana Wilson, Jorge Villavicencio Grossmann, and Mark Camphouse. Honors include the 2018 Richard K. Joseph Composition Prize, first prize in the 2017 Mu Phi Epsilon Original Composition Contest, and first prize in the 2014 Neva Greenwood Memorial Student Composition Competition. Holcomb is also an active performer, having studied horn with Alex Shuhan, piano with Deborah Martin, and tabla and Indian harmonium with Denise Nuttall.