Brandon Kennedy Verrett (b. 1980) short bio
Kennedy is a composer and musician whose music conveys beauty through emotional melodies and captivating rhythms. His diverse skills allow him to work effortlessly in concert halls, outdoor environments, motion pictures, and TV soundtracks. Many consider his music hauntingly beautiful, appealing to those seeking unique yet familiar sounds.
Verrett's concert repertoire features engaging pieces that often address social and political topics. Some works explore new ways to interact with sound and nature. SoundCheckEarth, in Joshua Tree National Park, and Soundcheck: Gardens of Golden Gate Park showcase Kennedy's love for science and nature, fostering conversations that help us reconnect with sound in our world. Change for a Dollar, and Black Lives Are Magic, encourage discussions about social change and progress. More traditional works include Western Sketches for Orchestra, String Adagio No. 6, and Songs of the Seasons, while Verrett also creates many experimental pieces for various instrument combinations at his Mad Composer Lab.
Kennedy’s musicianship is expressed using solo piano, didgeridoo, flutes, percussion, and an assortment of custom instruments. He regularly performs a solo show along the West Coast, with Be Present Art Group, and The Cosmic Tones Research Trio. Kennedy has also served as Music director for Passing Strange at Portland Playhouse and Co-Music Director, for Portland Playhouse’s version of Amelie. Before relocating to Portland, OR, he played bassoon with groups like the Monroe Symphony Orchestra and the University of Louisiana Monroe and CSUF Symphony Orchestras and Wind Ensembles.
Kennedy organizes workshops that show how we can use our natural musical abilities to understand the world better. These workshops cover topics like Music Therapy, Psychoacoustics, Deep Listening, Physics, and Soundscape Ecology in an engaging way. Known as Sound Sense, this program combines science, math, and music through enjoyable activities that involve all our senses related to sound. Sound Sense was created by Kennedy in Portland, OR, and is offered in summer camps and workshops in Portland, Joshua Tree, CA, and Southern Oregon
Since 2006, Kennedy has collaborated with top composers and musicians in Hollywood, offering services like conducting, MIDI transcription, orchestration, arrangements, and logistics. His work appears in films such as When In Rome (Disney), Love Happens (Universal Pictures), Untraceable (Lakeshore), and Drag Me to Hell (Universal). He has also conducted original scores for The Rum Diary, featuring Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, and Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club (Lionsgate).
He has received multiple awards for his composing and community work, including Best Score for "No Joke" (2023), "The Grover Complex" (2012), a Joshua Award (2023), the BMI Scholar Award for Film Composition, the William H. Taylor Memorial Award, and the Cal State Fullerton Composition Award. Additionally, he has achieved high ratings in various music and conducting competitions. Kennedy was Artist-in-Residence at the Headwater's Waterline Theater in Portland, Oregon, and Composer-in-Residence at Lou Harrison House Music, Arts, and Ecology in Joshua Tree, CA (2020-2022), and Joshua Tree National Park (2022).
Authenticity is Essential
As a musician, Kennedy has performed with many ensembles, including the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony, and Fullerton Woodwind Quintet, playing bassoon and contrabassoon. Additionally, Kennedy performs on piano and an assortment of other instruments including didjeridu and the doombox, a monochord made from piano wire. All of these can be heard on his soundtrack recordings.
He is the recipient of several awards for composing, including Best Score for The Grover Complex, the BMI Scholar Award for Film Composition, the William H. Taylor Memorial Award, and the Cal State Fullerton Composition Award. Moreover, he has earned superior ratings in numerous competitions as a musician and conductor.
Kennedy has served as Artist-in-Residence at the Headwater’s Waterline Theater in Portland, Oregon and Composer-in-Residence at the Lou Harrison House Music, Arts, and Ecology in Joshua Tree, CA.
Gratitude is Essential
Highly talented and expressive with the baton, he has served as conductor of the Monroe Symphony Youth Honors Orchestra, has guested with a variety of groups from coast to coast, and conducts most of his own soundtrack recording sessions. This background as an orchestral musician, conductor, and player of orchestral and exotic instruments offers Kennedy an unparalleled perspective in the workings and abilities of a wide range of ensembles in the marriage of sound, visuals, and emotion. His expansive and eclectic experience, united with his limitless imagination, allows him to offer in his music an incredibly broad pallet of musical colors and sounds.
