A native of Northwest Washington, Brandon started playing classical violin when he was 5 years old. He was awarded a Starling Violin Scholarship with the prodigious Pressley Violin Studio when he was 14 years old. That same year, Brandon became the youngest winner of the Open U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championship. He competed again in 2001, walking away with first prize for the second time.
Brandon has received both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance from Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Paul Kantor. He is currently on the faculty for the Seattle Conservatory of Music, teaching Music History and introductory Theory, as well as serving as a chamber music coach. Brandon has also started his own private violin studio in Seattle and is currently taking students.
From 2007 - 2008 he held a Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he was assistant concertmaster of the Aspen Opera Orchestra and a member of the Festival Orchestra. Brandon is a current member of the Northwest Sinfonietta, based out of Tacoma, and has performed with the National Reperatory Orchestra, Akron Symphony, and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Brandon performed at the 2002 Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival's 5th Anniversary and in 2006 he toured Italy with the Zephyr Chamber Music Festival and performed at the Barbaresco Classica International Music Festival. He has studied with members of the Cavani Quartet as well as Peter Salaff, Bonnie Hampton, Irina Muresanu, and Alison Wells,
Early music performance practice is one of Brandon's passions. He has performed under the instruction of the world-renowned baroque orchestra, Apollo's Fire. His early music teachers include David Greenberg, Cynthia Roberts, Jeannette Sorrell, Julie Andrijeski, Peter Bennett, and Rene Schiffer. Recent early music performances include "The Bach Dialogue Cantatas" with soprano Rebekah Gilmore and baritone Thomas Thompson in conjunction with Early Music Guild of Seattle and Trinity Parish Church.
Brandon's penchant for folk crossover music has led him to collaborate with many talented and like-minded artists, including Mark Minkler, Jazz pianist/Irish flute player, and Eliot Grasso, Uillean Piper/Classical pianist. Most recently, Brandon has formed "Alchymeia," a Seattle-based ensemble dedicated to folk crossover music, with Eastern European folk singer and early music specialist Nadia Tarnawsky.