Brendan Nguyen - Music Director/Conductor (he/him)

Brendan Nguyen is a pianist who displays uncommon versatility as a performer, artist, and thinker. His bold programming style, infusion of technology in performance, and extravagantly produced concert concepts aim to explore new musical territory while casting a contemporary eye on the established canon.

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Brendan has performed at prestigious concert halls and concert series including the REDCAT Theater at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Zipper Hall, the Monday Evening Concert series, Merkin Hall, and The Stone in New York. He is also a former member of the highly acclaimed Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, Echoi, and Palimpsest ensembles, and has recorded with Carrier Records and Populist Records.

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He has worked closely and in workshops with composers such as George Crumb, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, and Lewis Nielson. Brendan’s enthusiasm for contemporary music has lead to a number of premieres and commissions, including works by Wojtek Blecharz, Aaron Helgeson, Nicholas Deyoe, Clint McCallum, Josiah Oberholtzer, Beat Furrer, and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Reynolds. He also shared the stage with musicians such as violinist David Bowlin, pianist Aleck Karis, and percussionist Steven Schick.

Brendan performed at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine as a recipient of a Performer’s Associate Fellowship. There, he was featured both as soloist and chamber musician on the Upbeat! Concert Series and the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music alongside esteemed faculty and guest artists. Brendan has also made appearances at the Shandelee International Music Festival in New York and was recognized as one of the most outstanding alumni since the festival’s foundation.

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A graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music (BMus) and UC San Diego (MM, DMA), Brendan also studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands with Jan Wijn. His past teachers include Aleck Karis, Alvin Chow, Yong Hi Moon, and the late Earl Wild.