Brian

Instruments: Piano, Voice, Drums

Brian Heveron-Smith is an L.A.-based musician and composer with a vast and varied musical background. He studied classical percussion and jazz drumming at the Eastman School of Music. He went on to tour as a drummer with jazz and rock bands and he also traveled through West Africa, learning traditional drumming styles of Senegal, Mali, and Ghana. Brian is an equally accomplished pianist, with over two decades experience as an accompanist, music director, and vocal coach.

As a composer, Brian’s music has been heard on NPR, PBS, FOX, Peacock, and on stages all over the U.S, U.K., Europe, and Australia. Brian’s score for Shipping, a new musical from TV writers Jen Jackson and Louisa Kellogg, was called “a masterpiece” by Broadway World, with L.A. Theatrix stating, “the music is so thoughtfully composed that each song is a hit.”

An avid music educator, Brian has been teaching music for 25 years, both privately and as a teaching artist through organizations such as Story Pirates, Inside Broadway, Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, Queens College, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and more. Brian adopts a holistic approach to teaching, emboldening students to develop their musicianship through improvising, composing, learning by ear, and movement. He brings an added knowledge of stage performance, acting, and improv to his teaching, which helps keep students out of their heads and enjoying the act of playing music.