Brian Head (born October 14, 1964) is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

, and music theory and composition

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

. He performs frequently as a soloist and collaboratively with numerous groups, including the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, the

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler P ...

, New World Symphony, inauthentica, Jacaranda and Xtet. His compositions have been widely performed throughout the U.S. and abroad. Brian Head holds an unusual dual appointment at the

Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

, where he is a member of both the Classical Guitar and the Composition faculties, positions he has held since 2001. He maintains an active guitar studio there, lectures on a wide range of subjects, and directs the music theory program. As of 2010, he is the acting chair of the Classical Guitar department and Assistant Dean for curriculum. Heads is Artistic Director of the

Guitar Foundation of America The Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) is an American classical guitar nonprofit organization that was founded in 1973 at the National Guitar Convention sponsored by the American String Teachers Association. The foundation offers various ser ...

. From 2004 to 2010, he was its president.

Training

Raised in

Adelphi, Maryland Adelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 16,823. Adelphi includes the following subdivisions; Adelphi, Adelphi Park, Adelphi Hills, ...

, Brian Head is the son of the noted trumpeter Emerson Head and his first wife Linda Head, a piano teacher and professional accompanist. He received undergraduate degrees from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

in both Music and Mathematics, and a master's degree from the

in guitar performance, receiving recognition as Outstanding Thornton School Graduate of 1991. Notable guitar teachers include Anthony Norris,

William Kanengiser William Kanengiser (born July 22, 1959) is a classical guitarist. He is one of the founding members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ). Kanengiser was born in Orange, New Jersey.Maurice J. Summerfield: ''The Classical Guitar. Its Evolution ...

, and James Smith.

Notable compositions

* "Sketches for Friends" (1994) was first recorded by

for his album ''Rondo alla Turka''. * "John McLaughlin: We Know You Know: Reverie for Mahavishnu" (2004) is featured on the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's Grammy Award-winning album, Guitar Heroes. * "Chant" and "Fanfare" are included in

Scott Tennant Scott Tennant is an American classical guitarist and composer. Tennant is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Early life and education Born in Detroit, Michigan in March 1962, Tennant began his musical an ...

's technique handbook ''Pumping Nylon''.

References

External links

USC faculty

Guitar Foundation of American Board of Directors

LAGQ Grammy Award

Absolute pitch among students in an American music conservatory: Association with tone language fluency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Head, Brian 1964 births Living people 20th-century American composers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American composers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians American classical guitarists American male composers American male guitarists Musicians from Washington, D.C. People from Adelphi, Maryland University of Maryland, College Park alumni USC Thornton School of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty