1. Bill Brennan - CV
Bill Brennan - pianist/producer/composer/percussionist/musical director, university instructor 12 Cathedral St.
Born Sept. 25, 1964 St. John's, Nfld.
St. John's, Nfld. A1C 3Y5
(709)-753-5987
University Teaching
Director, Memorial University Jazz Ensemble (2008-present)
Percussion Instructor (Part-time), Memorial University (2007-present)
Director, World Music Ensemble and Brazilian Music Ensemble, Memorial University (2010, 2013-present)
Per-course Instructor, Advanced Keyboard harmony, Memorial University (2014-2015)
Per-course Instructor (Part-time) – Jazz Improvisation (Fall 2015)
Artistic Direction
Sound Symposium - Co-Artistic Director (2001-present)
Jazz East Big Band (2009-present)
Bill Brennan and Banda Brazil (2008-present)
Musical Direction and Conducting Experience
Memorial University Wind Ensemble – Assistant Conductor (2012-2014)
The Little Mermaid - Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director ((Theatre St. John’s - 2015)
Jesus Christ Superstar - Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director (Tada Productions – 2015)
Evita - Conductor/ Musical Director (Tada Productions – 2014)
Chicago - Conductor/ Musical Director (Tada Productions – 2013)
Our Divas Do Xmas 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 – Conductor/ Musical Director - (Our Divas Productions)
Mary Poppins – Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director (Theatre St. John’s – 2013)
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra - Disney in Concert – Conductor/ Musical Director - (with Quintessential Vocal Ensemble and
Vocal soloists and dancers – Tada/Our Divas Productions Feb. 2012)
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas – The Musical – Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director - (Tada Productions – Dec. 2011, 2012)
Our Divas Do Broadway 2008, 2009, – Conductor/ Musical Director - (Our Divas Productions)
Fear of Flight – Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director (Artistic Fraud – 2009)
Rocky Horror Picture Show - Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director (Tada Productions – 2010)
The Vinyl Café – Musical Arranger/ Conductor/ Musical Director/ Vocal Director (CBC – 1998-2002)
A Christmas Candlelight Evening - Musical Director (CBC-TV – 2003)
The Roots Orchestra - Musical Director (Halifax/St. John’s Jazz Festivals co-production 2006)
Sarah Chase Dance Stories - Musical Director (1997-2004)
Building Jerusalem - Musical Director/ Vocal Director (Dora Award-winning play by Michael Redhill – 1997-2000)
Ladies of Jazz - Musical Director (Wreckhouse Jazz and Blues Festival – 2007, 2008)
Record Producer Credits
Oh Holy Night – Shelley Neville - 2015 (Producer/Arranger/Performer)
With Wine, Vol. 1 – Renee Marquis 2011 (Musical Arranger, Co-producer, Performer)
Solo Piano 2 - Bill Brennan 2008 (Producer/Composer/Performer)
After Hours – Jeff Dyer/Bill Brennan Duo 2008 (Producer/Performer)
Solo Piano – Bill Brennan 2006 (Producer/Composer/Performer)
Spanner – Spanner 2005 (Producer)
Sisters - The Palmer Girls 2004 (Producer/Arranger)
Country Retreat - Solitudes 2003 (Producer/ Composer/ Arranger/ Performer)
Irish Piano - Reflections 2003 (Producer/ Arranger/ Solo Performer)
Mario Russell - Chesterfield Inlet - Independent 1995 (Producer/ Composer/ Performer)
Lady Cove Women’s Choir – Independent 2006 (Producer)

2. Orchestrations
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (several full orchestra arrangements)
Our Divas do Christmas/Broadway (more than 50 arrangements of Broadway/Christmas pieces for choir, soloists and 14-piece ensemble)
Incidental music for Musical Theatre shows (e.g. White Christmas – The Musical – Jazz Big Band)
Radio Documentaries
The Jazz Portraits 1st
edition – a six part series for CBC Radio’s “Inside the Music” 2008 (writer, producer, editor)
The Jazz Portraits 2nd
edition – a three part series for CBC Radio’s “Inside the Music” 2010 (writer, producer, editor)
Television Documentaries
Nature of Things Documentary 2001 “Surgeons of the Future” - (Producer/ Composer/ Performer)
Performance Recordings
After Hours - Jeff Dyer/Bill Brennan Duo
Solo Piano 2 - Bill Brennan
Solo Piano – Bill Brennan
With Wine, Vol. 1 – Renee Marquis
The Offering of Curtis Andrews – Curtis Andrews
North of Java - Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Road to Ubud - Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Palace - Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Gamelan Solo - Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan
Hemispheres 1 - Hemispheres
Chaser - Hemispheres
O Bali - CBC (Musica Viva)
A Million Stars - Oliver Schroer
Esprit Orchestra - Esprit Orchestra (CBC SM-5000)
Introduction to Canadian Music - NAXOS Records
Continuum - Independent
The Ice Storm soundtrack - Velvet Records
Taklamakan - Lee Pui Ming
Mario Russell - Chesterfield Inlet
We Were Talking - Vuja De
Mudancas - Vuja De
Mistura - Vuja De
Folkalarm - Kevin Breit
All Good Babies Go to War - Sisters Euclid
Radio Fusebox - Andy Stochansky
Cactus Flowers - Yvette Tollar
Orrachan - Teresa Doyle
If Fish Could Sing - Teresa Doyle
Cradle On The Waves - Teresa Doyle
Thermal Quartet - Steve Cole
Coming of Age - Andrea Koziol
Simple - Andrea Koziol
Eavesdropping - Anne Lindsay
Heillig Manouevre - Heillig Manouevre
Mozart Deutche Tanze - Tafelmusik
Inside Outside - Phil Disera
Gift of Messiah (independent with Catherine Robbin and Friends)
From the Inside Out - Loretto Reid Band
Country Retreat - Solitudes
Seaside Retreat - Solitudes
The Piper's Journey - Sommerset Records
Bagpipe Classics - Reflections
Canadiana - Solitudes
Irish Piano - Reflections
A Celtic Romance - Mychael Danna

3. Performance Recordings – con’t
Kevin Barrett Trio - Kevin Barrett
Gros Morne - Independent
The Sweetest Noise - Rebecca Campbell and Justin Haynes
Sisters - The Palmer Girls
Lakeside Retreat - Solitudes Records
Celtic Heart - Avalon Music
Celtic Devotion - AvalonMusic
Celtic Voices - Sommerset Music
Mitsue - Mika Yoshida
Snook's Christmas – Snook
Snook’s Childhood - Snook
Last Man Standing - Barry Canning
Rossini and Verdi Rarities - CBC Records
Patria R. Murray Schafer - Opening Day
Come From Every Way - Anne Lederman
Happy Day - John Millard and Happy Day
In A Room - Daniel Janke
Land And Sea - Sandy Morris
Touch Wood - Mark Duggan
News From Up The Street – Anne Lindsay
Gzowski In Compilation - Analekta
The Newfie Bullet - Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
Hold Out - Pat Boyle
Hymns and Hers – Oliver Schroer
Still No Word – Patrick Boyle
Diggin’ Duggan – Mark Duggan
Jazz Mass – Jim Duff
Over 40 more recordings
Motion Picture Score Performances
The Ice Storm - dir. Ang Lee
Antwone Fisher - dir. Denzel Washington
Awards
Canada Council – grant to study gamelan in Indonesia with Ade Suparman - 2014
Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Artist of the Year 2006
City of St. John’s Arts Award 2004, 2006
Nfld. And Lab. Arts Council Grant 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014
Freddie Stone Memorial Award (1999)
Ontario Arts Council Popular Music Grant for Chesterfield Inlet 1995
Toronto Arts Council Grant to write Belo Horizonte 2000
Laidlaw Commission to write new work for the ensemble Hemispheres 1992 (Pradalah completed June 1992)
Commission to write new work for Sound Symposium 1994 (Pradalahm completed June 1994)
Compositions
Couldn’t it Be - 2013 – piano and voice
Kaleidoscope – 2012 – mallet trio
AM's Waltz - 2001- solo piano
Pere Lachaise - 2003 - solo piano
Nanos - Music for the documentary "Surgeons of the Future" produced by CBC-TV's "The
Nature of Things" 2001
Muzz - piano solo for dancer Sarah Chase 1997
Belo Horizonte - percussion trio 2001
Locomotif - jazz ensemble 2000
Alegria - marimba duet 1996
Pradalahm - percussion and voice 1994
Pradalah - trumpet, saxophone and percussion 1994
Look Out - percussion duo 1994
Quepos - mbira solo 1994

4. T'rain - piano solo 1994
Nostalgie - solo piano 1993
Time Piece - jazz ensemble 1994
Alma Chillin' - mbira and marimba 1993
Sudando - jazz ensemble 1993
Many other compositions
Original Music for Theatre
The Way of the Sea – Kent Stetson
Bed, Breakfast and Beyond – Dave Sullivan
Building Jerusalem – Michael Redhill
Performance Experience
Orchestral:
Canadian Opera Company (1988-1996 – acting principal percussion (1995-1996)
Esprit Orchestra (1985-2001)
National Ballet of Canada (1987-1995)
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (1987-1995)
National Youth Orchestra (1983-1987)
Contemporary:
Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan (1984-present)
New Music Concerts (1988-2002)
Fusion (1980-1982)
Continuum (1990-2002)
Hemispheres Music Projects (1990-1999)
Batterie Park Percussion Group (1990-2000)
Esprit Orchestra (1886-2001)
Jazz:
Vuja De (1993-present)
Heillig Manouevre (1999-2004)
Chesterfield Inlet (1992-present)
Folk:
Loretto Reid Band (1996-present)
Betty and The Bobs (1999-present)
World:
Bill Brennan and Banda Brazil (2008-present)
Performance Highlights
Musical Director of CBC's "Vinyl Café with Stuart MacLean" (1997-2004)
Disney in Concert (with Newfoundland Symphony, Quintessential Vocal Ensemble and 2O vocal soloists – Feb. 2012)
Nine tours to Japan as soloist and ensemble player with Mika Yoshida (1998-2007)
Sound Symposia, St. John's, Nfld. 1984-2010
Winnipeg Folk Festival 1996 with Chesterfield Inlet
Owen Sound Folk Festival 2002 with Betty and the Bobs
Canada Day celebrations at Expo 1998 Lisbon, Portugal with Musaic
Musical back up for Cab Calloway, Eartha Kitt, Placido Domingo and Dizzy Gillespie
Numerous tours with Sarah Chase to Austria, Norway, Belgium, Austria, Germany, France, and Canada
Expo 2000 performance with Peter Erskine, NEXUS and Evergreen Club
Guest Vibraphone Soloist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra 2007
Festival Performances
Bergen International Theatre Festival (Bergen, Norway)
Danse in Kortrijk (Kortrijk, Belgium)
Winnipeg Folk Festival
Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa)

5. Festival Internationale de Nouvelle Danse (Montreal)
Toronto Jazz Festival
Halifax Jazz Festival
Theatre de Welt (Germany)
Mariposa Folk Festival (Orillia)
Hornby Arts Festival (British Columbia)
Festival Performances – con’t
Victoriaville Festivale de Music Actuelle
Massey Hall New Music Festival
Expo 1998 Lisbon, Portugal
Sound Symposium
Dance 2006 (Munich, Germany)
Rochester Jazz Festival
Education
Memorial University (Masters of Music - completed Dec. 2014)
University of Toronto (received Bachelors of Music - 1985)
Gonzaga High School, St. John's, Nfld. (Graduated with Honours)
Scholastic Awards
University Medal of Excellence Memorial University (for masters) - 2015
William H. and Bertha Baird Memorial Scholarship – 2014 (Memorial University)
F.A. Aldrich Graduate Award - 2013 (Memorial University)
The JUNO Legacy Scholarship Award in Music - 2013 (Memorial University)
Instructors
Jason Caslor
Jakub Martinec
Don Wherry
Russell Hartenberger
Robin Engelman
Alexander Lepak
Brian Rudolf
Referees
Rob Power – rpower@mun.ca
Dr. Jason Caslor - jasoncaslor@gmail.com
Paul Bendzsa - pbendzsa@mun.ca