Sy Brandon has received numerous awards including first prizes in the WITF-FM's 25th Anniversary Composition Contest, the El Dorado Sacred Music Composition Contest, Franklin and Marshall College’s Wind Ensemble Composition Contest, the New England String Ensemble Composition Competition, the Quadre Composition Competition, the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Composition Contest, the Civitasolis Reed Quintet Composition Competition, the Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition, and the 2023 International Tuba Euphonium Association Composition Competition. He has received numerous commissions for his music from organizations that include the Boise Philharmonic, York Symphony Orchestra, the Twentieth Moravian Music Festival, as well as from numerous professional musicians and school music organizations.
In 2010, he was awarded a commission from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to compose the band composition celebrating the Arizona Centennial during 2011-12. In 2015, he was selected to receive the 2018 Thor Johnson Memorial Commission from the Delta Omicron Foundation. He received Honorable Mention in the 2016 American Prize in chamber music composition and has been a recipient of an ASCAP Special Award annually since 1998.
His music has been recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Bulgarica, the Kiev Philharmonic, and by numerous solo and chamber music artists. Tuba/Euphonium Press, Trombone Association Publishing, Imagine Music, Hamar Publication, and Co-Op Press publish his music. His book, “A Composer’s Guide to Understanding Music with Activities for Listeners, Interpreters, and Composers” is published by Co-op Press. Sy Brandon (b. 1945 in New York, NY) holds the rank of professor emeritus of music from Millersville University, Millersville, PA where he taught low brass, composition, orchestration, music history, electronic music, and music industry for twenty-four years. He received his B.S. and M.S. in music education from Ithaca College and his A. mus. D. in composition from the University of Arizona. His composition teachers include Warren Benson, Elie Siegmeister, and Robert McBride.
Become a sponsor of composer/arranger Sy Brandon for $50 per calendar year and receive the following thank you benefits: • 50 % discount on music purchased during the calendar year • Free PDF copy of Dr. B’s Music Practice Guide and A Composer's Guide to Understanding Music • Priority given for participation in the Performance Commission Program where you can have a piece written especially for you or your ensemble in exchange for a promise to perform the commissioned piece at least 2 times within a year of receiving the music and for providing a high quality digital recording of the commissioned work. • $10 credit towards future purchase of music for emailing a digital copy of your 2023 program containing any of Sy Brandon’s compositions or arrangements • Picture and link to your website posted on our Sponsorship page.
