Brandon Kennedy Verrett (b. 1980) short bio
Kennedy Verrett is a composer and researcher who has moved seamlessly from industry to industry. Kennedy uses his experience as a film, concert, and aleatoric composer to create innovative work that challenges the audience to reexamine their usual mode of appreciation. In addition to his work in contemporary music, Kennedy dedicates his time to research and educating people on the field of ecoacoustics, aka acoustic ecology. One of Kennedy’s recent premieres, Soundcheck Earth (in partnership with Joshua Tree National Park and the Lou Harrison House Music, Arts, and Ecology), examines the relationship between instruments, nature, and the audience’s temporal experience.
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.
