Brandon Ridenour is a stylistically diverse trumpet soloist, collaborative artist, composer and arranger. Recognized as “...heralding the trumpet of the future” (Chicago Sun Times) and for “demonstrating the trumpet's huge potential for lyricism” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), he has combined his wide-ranging activities as soloist and chamber musician with his passion for composing and arranging, resulting in his distinctive artistic voice and vision.
At the age of twenty, Brandon became the youngest member ever to join the iconic Canadian Brass, a position he held for seven years. With the group, he played in distinguished venues around the world, performed on television, recorded ten albums, appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and received three Juno Award nominations. He also created a catalog of new arrangements for the ensemble, which are still performed today. Brandon rejoined Canadian Brass in 2019 and continues to create new repertoire for the group.
Brandon is a winner of numerous competitions, including Concert Artists Guild, International Trumpet Guild, and the American Composers Forum. He has played with a diverse array of musicians, including Sting, James Taylor, Marvin Hamlisch, Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, John Williams, and esteemed ensembles, such as the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, the Knights, Orpheus, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
In 2019, Brandon launched Come Together, an album of reimagined Beatles music celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic Lennon/McCartney song. Brandon has since developed this collaborative album into a larger social impact and environmentalism project, with the mission of conveying, through music, the importance of humanity coming together to take better care of our planet and each other.
Brandon began arranging both solo and collaborative music for the trumpet in order to expand the possibilities for his instrument, sometimes including a melding of musical styles and creating a new cross-genre repertoire. In addition to showcasing these works in his own recital and concerto performances, his arrangements are also featured by the ensembles Founders (a quintet featuring trumpet/piano, violin/voice, clarinet, cello and bass) and USEFULchamber, both of which Brandon is a founding member. His writing has been described by the New York Times as a "musically omnivorous soundscape" and "full-blooded, atmospheric arrangements". He has also recorded three previous solo albums, most recently Fantasies and Fairy Tales which features his own virtuosic arrangements of classical masterworks for trumpet and piano.
Brandon began his musical journey at age 5, studying piano with his father, pianist Rich Ridenour. Brandon grew up in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, MI where he took trumpet lessons from Gregg Good and Scott Thornburg. He received his B.M. from the Juilliard School of Music in the studios of Mark Gould and Ray Mase. Brandon currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music in the contemporary performance program.
Outside of music, Brandon has studied sketch writing and improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre company and has always been a not-so-closeted fan of comedy. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY. For more info, please stay on this website.