Brendan Byrnes is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer currently active in the Los Angeles area. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston he immersed himself in the Chicago music and art scene working with musicians and bands as well as spoken word, visual/video, and performance artists. In addition to performing and touring nationally with his own projects he played guitar and wrote music with theMDR led by world renowned drummer/composer Matt Walker (Morrisey, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Filter) as well as critically acclaimed orchestral pop group Canasta.
Brendas Byrners Paintings
His works for string ensemble and orchestra have been performed internationally. His String Quartet “Aman” was premiered in 5 cities in Nicaragua including Managua’s National Concert Hall (2004) and “Chroma”, for full orchestra, was premiered by the San Francisco Sinfonietta alongside Paul McCartney’s “Oratorio” in San Francisco, California (2011). A recent collaborative composition with virtuoso violinist and composer Mark Menzies titled “Swongering Butterfly” was premiered for “Ensemble Sospeso: The Machine Breathes” at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, NYC (2012).
He has also composed a number of large electric guitar ensemble works partially inspired by the work of Glenn Branca. Brendan is a graduate of Branca’s guitar orchestra having performed in New York, New Jersey, and Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Concert Hall for Symphony No. 13 “Hallucination City”.
In addition to large ensemble and orchestral works, he continues to produce his own electronic and electro-acoustic works, compose music for choreographers and animators, write songs, and play in an experimental noise group. As a guitarist, Brendan utilizes various alternate tunings, prepared guitars, and a Freenote 12-tone Ultra Plus guitar that features extra frets providing 36 different pitches per octave (13-Limit Just Intonation).
In 2012 he graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Composition from the California Institute of the Arts where he studied primarily with Wolfgang von Schweinetz and Ulrich Krieger. His focus on the study of Just Intonation, microtonality, and xenharmony have led to many new pieces exploring the possibilities of these less familiar harmonic spaces.
music |-
all music composed, performed, produced, and mixed by brendan byrnes unless indicated otherwise
album featuring microtonal/xenharmonic electronica and avant-rock on spectropol records
visit micropangaea.com for an animated website based on the album, tuning information, and album credits.
free or “name your own price” download and CD purchase available here
Reels: 90 second sampler audio tracks of various compositions for animation, choreography, video, etc.
Music for Choreography Reel
Piece for microtonal piano and microtonal guitar. Freenote 12-tone Ultra Plus guitar played by Brendan Byrnes. Re-tuned acoustic piano played by Emi Tamura. Piano tuning by Brendan Byrnes. Recording Engineer: Michael Day.
Jars, a microtonal guitar duo. Features Alex Wand playing a 11-limit JI National Steel guitar (originally designed for Lou Harrison) and Brendan Byrnes on a Freenote 12-Tone Ultra Plus electric.
microtonal piece for orchestra and “rock band”. tunings are: bohlen-pierce, 20 EDO, 13-limit just intonation, 12 EDO. see score page for details.
collection of music for choreography
solo album / songs / electronic
electric guitar ensemble