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Brien Henderson (b. 1977)
Rooted in the austere beauty of Medieval chant and Renaissance counterpoint, sharpened by the innovations of the modern classical tradition, I try to weave music from multiple threads to feel at once ancient and alive. Familiar enough to invite you in, foreign enough to transform you.
I have had the good fortune of having my music workshopped or performed by several groups including Court-Circuit, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Hausmann String Quartet, Ensemble Linea, Ensemble Signal, Slee Sinfonietta, and Sotto Voce Vocal Collective. In 2016, double bassist (and my wife) Megan McDevitt commissioned Confession for double bass, which she premiered at the University of Michigan the following year.
I earned a PhD in music composition from the University at Buffalo (2019), where I developed my trencadís and neo-Renaissance techniques. Both of these are exemplified in Missa Trencadís (2019) for SATB choir and ensemble, premiered at June in Buffalo 2019. Before Buffalo, I earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music composition at San Francisco State University (2010 and 2013).
