Brandee Younger
Harpist
A versatile musician who has been proven to defy genres and labels, this young harpist has created a unique niche in both traditional and non-traditional harp arenas. Best-known for her limitless drive, Ms. Younger remains in high demand and attracts the attention of today’s most well-known artists, producers and ensembles.
A classically trained harpist, she has performed with an array of orchestras including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Soulful Symphony, Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and the Red Bull Artsehcro, a “non-conformist” orchestra.
She has worked & recorded with a number of jazz luminaries including Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Charlie Haden, Reggie Workman, Kenny Garrett, Geri Allen, Steve Wilson, Wycliffe Gordon, Rashied Ali, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Bill Lee, as well as with a host of New York City’s top, young jazz musicians. Most notably, Ms. Younger has been featured in a series of musical tributes to the late pianist and harpist, Alice Coltrane, led by her son and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
In hip-hop, she has worked with several artists and producers including Common, Ryan Leslie, Drake and Talib Kweli. She effortlessly performs in many diverse genres, due to her proficiency as an artist and all around musician, not just as an instrumentalist.
Recently, Ms. Younger traveled to Guatemala along with the US Coast Guard Band harpist, Megan Sesma, in an effort to support the harp community in Guatemala as part of the Guatemala Harp Project. An all volunteer effort, Ms. Younger and Ms. Sesma worked extensively with the harp instructors and students at the National Conservatory of Music in Guatemala City and El Sitio Cultural Center in Antigua where they taught, coached and presented masterclasses. In addition to their work with the instructors and students, they donated supplies and music and visited the music classes of a local elementary school in the town of Panajachel.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ms. Younger began her harp studies as a teen. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance and Music Business at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford where she was also mentored by the faculty of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and African American Studies. She received her Master of Music in Harp Performance from New York University. Her formal instructors on the University level include harpists Rebecca Flannery, Susan Jolles, Emily Mitchell, and bassist, Nat Reeves.
Currently, she resides in New York City where she maintains a rigorous performing and teaching schedule. She performs with her trio, as a soloist, and performs regularly as part of The Workman String Summit, led by bassist, Reggie Workman; the Laura Kahle Quintet, led by composer and trumpeter, Laura Kahle and with Bill Lee and the Natural Spirit Orchestra. Ms. Younger has a private teaching studio in New York and is on the harp faculty at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY; the Hartt School Community Division, at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, CT; and The Greenwich House Music School in New York, NY. She is Vice President of the Long Island Chapter of the American Harp Society.
Hear Brandee:
Friday, November 5 – Woodlands Salon Concert Series
Monday, November 8 – Houston Arts Presenters Showcase
Tuesday, November 9 – Impulse Performance
Thursday, November 11 – Impulse Signature Jazz Concert with Suresh Singaratnam
Impulse interview with Brandee:
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