Brandon Allen
Violin/ Viola/ Cello/ Bass (upright and electric)/ Guitar/ Piano/ Voice/ Saxophone/ Trumpet/ Krumhorn Family/ Viol de Gamba Family/ Lute
Long Island University, New York University
Brandon Allen has been teaching since the age of 16, and has been involved in music since the age of 8. He was a member of the LIU Post Orchestra, LIU Post String Ensemble, Merriweather Consort, as well as the bass section leader for the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz. Brandon was also a member of the LIU Post Chorus where he had the privilege of performing at Carnegie Hall in collaboration with the Cecilia Chorus under the direction of Dr. Mark Shapiro. In the summer of 2018, Brandon had the opportunity to perform at the Sydney Opera House in Australia as a percussionist in the Long Island Honor Band. A year later, he went on tour to Spain to perform with the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz, where they performed in San Sebastian, Frias, etc. He has also been a past member of Chamber Singers, the LIU’s Jazz Ensemble, the Chamber Music Festival and LIU Post’s Piano Showcase. Outside of LIU, Brandon has played in the Off-Broadway musicals, Songs for a New World, 13: The Musical on bass, Heathers on violin, and Spring Awakening on Guitar etc. He has also sung in the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation, under the direction of Lisa Meyer. Recently, Brandon taught Chorus and General Music in the Middle Country district as a leave replacement. Currently, Brandon is teaching privately while being a part of the Huntington Choral Society, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Scott Miceli as he finishes his master’s program. Brandon is also a current member of the Long Beach Seaside Marching Band as a percussionist with over three 1st place trophies. He is also a music producer/studio engineer for various genres, including, but not limited to Classical, Jazz, Rock, Hip hop/R&B etc. Brandon will be releasing an album in the fall of 2023 under his duo rock band, Students Eclipsed, and will also be going on tour in England this summer with the choral group, Belle Voci as their violinist/vocalist. Brandon believes in a concept classified as edutainment; education through entertainment. With this mindset, Brandon holds his classes in a demeanor that is both lively and energetic, while maintaining the balance of hard work to draw out the best in his students. With the various styles under his belt, Brandon aims to bring understanding to Hans Christian Andersen’s quote “Where words fail, Music speaks” as he believes that individuals can communicate with each other through music, regardless of their primary spoken language.
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything” – Plato