Brendan W. Kelly (Damascus, MD) is a recent graduate of The University of Michigan, where he earned a Master’s degree in saxophone performance with Dr. Timothy McAllister. Previously, Brendan earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in music education and saxophone performance at the University of Maryland, College Park. From 2010-2013, he served as Drum Major of the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band and performed in the 57th Presidential Inaugural Parade. Brendan is currently the Director of Instrumental Music at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, MD where he teaches 2 jazz ensembles, concert band, string orchestra, class piano, and marching band as part of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VAPA).
Mr. Kelly's experience in the arts includes work as a classroom teacher, marching band staff instructor, and administrative operations assistant. He has worked as an Administrative & Production Assistant for the PRISM Quartet and was an Admissions Assistant at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, & Dance from 2015-2016. Brendan has served as the lead visual instructor for the Damascus High School Marching Band pre-season camps since 2012. During his time with the University of Maryland Bands, Brendan developed standardized instructional handbooks and videos for marching fundamentals and peer leadership training. In 2013, Mr. Kelly served as an adjudicator for the Maryland All-State Bands and has appeared as a guest clinician for a number of secondary music programs.
Brendan was the baritone saxophonist of the Eero Quartet, First Prize winners of the 2015 Dale and Nancy Briggs Chamber Music Competition. In April 2016, Eero was named Third Prize winners in the National Round of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Chamber Music Competition in San Antonio, TX. Eero Quartet has appeared in recital at the Midwest Composers Symposium for New Music (2014), the UM Museum of Art (2014), the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium (2015), and the North American Saxophone Alliance Region V Conference (2015). The ensemble recently presented a masterclass for students at the Interlochen Arts Academy as part of a one-day guest residency that also included a recital performance and interview on Interlochen Public Radio.
As a jazz and commercial musician, Brendan has performed as a multi-instrumentalist with the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble and was a featured soloist at the Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival and Maryland Music Educators Association Annual Convention. He was a founding member of Connie Frigo's ROC Ensemble and has also appeared with the Mike Kamuf Little Big Band and Moanin' Frogs Saxophone Sextet. As a performer with eclectic musical interests, Brendan moonlights as the drummer of Bo Roo, a rock/funk band based in Maryland/Washington D.C.
From 2014-2016, Mr. Kelly was a member of the internationally-renowned Michigan Symphony Band under the direction of Michael Haithcock and appears on their latest album, Reflections, released in December 2015 on the Equilibrium label. The disc presents works by University of Michigan faculty, including Michael Daugherty’s Reflections on the Mississippi for Tuba and Symphonic Band featuring Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Brendan also served as a production assistant for the forthcoming release of the Symphony Band's recording of the Ingolf Dahl Saxophone Concerto featuring Timothy McAllister, due out later this year.
Brendan has twice attended the American Saxophone Academy at the Eastman School of Music and performed in master classes for Fred Hemke, John Sampen, Otis Murphy, Jérome Laran, Kenneth Tse, and James Houlik.
His principal teachers are Timothy McAllister, Connie Frigo, and Tim Powell.
Mr. Kelly's experience in the arts includes work as a classroom teacher, marching band staff instructor, and administrative operations assistant. He has worked as an Administrative & Production Assistant for the PRISM Quartet and was an Admissions Assistant at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, & Dance from 2015-2016. Brendan has served as the lead visual instructor for the Damascus High School Marching Band pre-season camps since 2012. During his time with the University of Maryland Bands, Brendan developed standardized instructional handbooks and videos for marching fundamentals and peer leadership training. In 2013, Mr. Kelly served as an adjudicator for the Maryland All-State Bands and has appeared as a guest clinician for a number of secondary music programs.
Brendan was the baritone saxophonist of the Eero Quartet, First Prize winners of the 2015 Dale and Nancy Briggs Chamber Music Competition. In April 2016, Eero was named Third Prize winners in the National Round of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Chamber Music Competition in San Antonio, TX. Eero Quartet has appeared in recital at the Midwest Composers Symposium for New Music (2014), the UM Museum of Art (2014), the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium (2015), and the North American Saxophone Alliance Region V Conference (2015). The ensemble recently presented a masterclass for students at the Interlochen Arts Academy as part of a one-day guest residency that also included a recital performance and interview on Interlochen Public Radio.
As a jazz and commercial musician, Brendan has performed as a multi-instrumentalist with the University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble and was a featured soloist at the Calvin Jones Big Band Jazz Festival and Maryland Music Educators Association Annual Convention. He was a founding member of Connie Frigo's ROC Ensemble and has also appeared with the Mike Kamuf Little Big Band and Moanin' Frogs Saxophone Sextet. As a performer with eclectic musical interests, Brendan moonlights as the drummer of Bo Roo, a rock/funk band based in Maryland/Washington D.C.
From 2014-2016, Mr. Kelly was a member of the internationally-renowned Michigan Symphony Band under the direction of Michael Haithcock and appears on their latest album, Reflections, released in December 2015 on the Equilibrium label. The disc presents works by University of Michigan faculty, including Michael Daugherty’s Reflections on the Mississippi for Tuba and Symphonic Band featuring Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Brendan also served as a production assistant for the forthcoming release of the Symphony Band's recording of the Ingolf Dahl Saxophone Concerto featuring Timothy McAllister, due out later this year.
Brendan has twice attended the American Saxophone Academy at the Eastman School of Music and performed in master classes for Fred Hemke, John Sampen, Otis Murphy, Jérome Laran, Kenneth Tse, and James Houlik.
His principal teachers are Timothy McAllister, Connie Frigo, and Tim Powell.