Brendan Fitzgerald – piano, keyboards

Originally trained as a classical pianist from eight years age, Brendan holds a Bachelor of Music in keyboard performance and is studying for a Master of Philosophy in Sonic Arts. Playing also accordion and guitar, Brendan’s musical influences include jazz, blues, rock, electronic and world music.

Brendan has composed and directed music for ensembles such as Tryst, Hot Cargo and The Groove Merchants. He has collaborated with vocalists, Catherine Lambert, Natasha Leicester, Kerry Reid and Virginia Hyam to create original songs and performed with many artists on piano including Jude Elliot, Hillary O’Neil, Alain Valodze, Themis Fernandez and Eduardo Niebla. Brendan has been a member of many groups including The Bank of France, Towards the Sun (London), Tjalkuri and Sporting Life.

In the 1990s, he worked extensively as a composer/performer and co-writer/music director for Swiss and German theatre productions, “Fantasie-Impromptu”, “Workman”, “Karussell”, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and “Dirty Pleasures”. Similarly for Australian theatre productions “Radio Daze”, “All Aboard”, “Carnivalia”, “Welcome to Paradise” and “Un Pugno Di Terra” for Doppio Teatro, Magpie Theatre, Cirkidz and Jumbuck Theatre. Brendan has performed for the Dance Company of New South Wales (Sydney Dance Company), Australian Dance Theatre and the Australian Dancers Company (Perth) who commissioned him as composer for their inaugural production, “Mauritius”. He has lectured in music theory, composition, arrangement and music technology at University of Adelaide, West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and Gold Coast Institute of TAFE. Operating his own recording facility, Spin FX Studios, he produces and records artists from a wide range of music styles.

He is currently working on a new album incorporating variable micro tuning systems and, together with the musicians in his quartet, producing their second CD of Dave Brubeck’s music. Brendan’s motto keeping him on this path of music discovery is: “Look after your music and music will look after you” (Miles Davis).