Brendan McBrien grew up in Sunnyvale, California where he began his musical training on Horn in 4^th grade. He moved to Southern California to attend California State University, Long Beach, receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music composition, and conducting. For 30 years he was a professional French horn player in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas playing for symphony, television, movie, and theater orchestras. Brendan is an active composer and his many compositions and arrangements for band and orchestra are performed worldwide and published with the Alfred, Belwin, Kendor, and Kjos Music Companies.

Brendan is an active adjudicator, clinician, and honor group conductor who has served six terms on the board of the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. He has presented many workshops at both state and local conventions and has received several awards including Middle School Teacher of the Year for the Irvine Unified School District and Orange County Department of Education. Brendan began teaching in IUSD in 1988 and has been the director of bands and orchestras at Irvine High School, Venado Middle School, and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School. Retiring after 34 years of teaching from IUSD, he currently teaches Music Arranging, Brass Methods, and student teacher supervision at CSULB as well as teaching Instrumental Methods at the UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Decidedly, Brendan’s greatest joy is being married to his wife, Karen, and father to Kevin, Megan, and Patrick – all of whom are passionate musicians.