Brandon Ridenour

A virtuoso trumpeter, pianist, and composer/arranger, Brandon Ridenour is a winner of the 2014 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition. His wide-ranging activities as a soloist and chamber musician paired with his passion for composing and arranging are manifested in his versatile performances and unique repertoire.

In 2006, at the age of twenty, Brandon joined the iconic Canadian Brass, a position he held for seven years. While with the group, he played in distinguished venues around the world, performed on television, recorded ten albums, and received three Juno Award nominations.

Brandon has appeared as a concerto soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Grand Rapids, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestras. He has played with leading ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, the Knights, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Europe. Other solo performances include the Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Hall, and Carnegie Hall, where he most recently appeared in a performance of Penny Lane alongside Sting and James Taylor.

Brandon is the winner of the 2006 International Trumpet Guild solo competition and a recipient of the Morton Gould ASCAP Young Composer Award. He has recorded three solo albums; his latest release is Fantasies and Fairy Tales which features his own virtuosic arrangements for trumpet and piano. He is also a founding member of the songwriting chamber ensemble, Founders. The group released their first album, You & Who, in March of 2015.

A graduate of The Juilliard School and an alumnus of The Academy (Ensemble ACJW), Brandon began playing piano at the age of 5 under the tutelage of his father, Rich Ridenour, with whom he still performs frequently. Residing in Brooklyn, Brandon also plays with New York City based ensembles, Decoda and Novus.