ABOUT
Brendan Sweeney (he/him/his) is a composer,
whose music focuses on commentary and
examination of the medium itself. Brendan’s musical inspirations show an enthusiastic
curiosity for music that could only be created in the age of the internet, where effortless
retrospect of centuries of musical history is at the push of a button. Often with a wry sense
of levity, his music frequently employs quotation, collage, and pastiche to explore
idiosyncrasies of music throughout human history and genre, as well as quirks unique to
the sonic arts and their exhibition. Whether it’s a Trumpet Concerto about playing a
concerto, a mosaic of arcade and video game sounds for percussion quartet, or an on stage séance where a soprano is possessed by the ghosts of dead composers and forced to sing their arias, his music strives to offer an authentic and irreplicable concert experience while still presenting ideas and inviting
conversation on music as it exists today. It’s from this place of authenticity that each his work takes shape.
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His music has been performed across the United States as well as in Italy, France, Austria, Canada, and Brazil. His teachers include Tina Tallon, Scott Lee, James Paul Sain, Paul Richards, Paul Koonce, and Tyler Kline.
He has also worked with Michael Daugherty, Reinhard Fuchs and Justin Dello Joio.
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Brendan is most excited when working on collaborations with new music performers and ensembles. His works have been interpreted by loadbang, icarusQuartet, Unheard-Of// Ensemble, Sputter Box, Ensemble PHACE, Bold City Contemporary Ensemble, Florida New Music Ensemble, The ___ Experiment, Splinter Tongue Quartet, Skware Clarinet Quartet, EuBA Quartet, UF Brass Choir, the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, the Hutchens-Myers Duo, the Of Wind and Wood Trio, Irvine Arditti, Pamela Mireles, and Ben Elgan.
As a trumpeter, Brendan has been performing and teaching for 15 years. Brendan was a member of the USF Trumpet Ensemble who performed in the semi-finals large ensemble division of the 2017 National Trumpet Competition in Denver, Colorado. In his masters studies he performed with the University of Florida Wind Symphony, and the University Big Band - Travelling to perform with them in the 2019 La Croix Valmer Festival in France. He also performed at the 2019 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Miami with the UF Trumpet Ensemble. Brendan also plays solo cornet with the Tampa Brass Band, and has subbed in with various professional and semi-professional ensembles across the State.
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Brendan is a member of The American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP),), the Society of Composers International (SCI) and the International Trumpet Guild (ITG), as well as an Alumni Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Composition as a fellow at the University of Florida.
