Brian Keenan, pianist-composer

Brian Keenan is a major Minnesota composer and performer of Ragtime music of the past and present. He will touch you with his romantic renditions of Classic Ragtime from composers such as Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb. Brian adds spark to any concert performing the rollicking Folk Ragtime of Charles
Hunter, Brun Campbell and Trebor Tichenor.

Brian will also introduce you to a new genre "Terra Verde" by sharing many of his own compositions that bring you on a musical journey through Minnesota River Country. Terra Verde is a revolutionary body of music for the 21st century, that incorporates New Ragtime with European romantic music along with eclectic American and Latin-American piano traditions. Brian's introspective compositions are at the forefront of this exciting cultural movement.

Let Brian share a concert hall experience in a unique intimate setting with you, your family and friends. He is available for:

Concert Series, Home Concerts, Festivals, Weddings, Parties, Coffee Shops

BRIAN KEENAN was born into a very musical family December 31, 1971, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He began taking piano lessons at age ten and started playing classic ragtime shortly thereafter. He began composing at 12, and in 1988 his Denn Also Hat Gott Die Welt Geliebt for chorus and piano won first place in the West Central division in the high school classification of the Music Teachers National Association/Columbia Pictures Publications Student Composition Contest.

Keenan was introduced to the world of New Ragtime when he met Frank French, David Thomas Roberts, and Jack Rummel in 1991. In 1994 he graduated with honors from the University of Colorado - Boulder, where he studied composition, piano and harpsichord, and was a member of the school's Early Music and Electronic Music ensembles. He was also the first recipient of the University's Certificate in Music Technology. In 1994 he was assistant musical director for the university's production of The Mistress of Two Masters, a musical play by Paul Levitt about Anna Giro, mistress of Antonio Vivaldi.

Keenan has been a featured performer at the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival in Boulder, and for the Classic Ragtime Society in Indianapolis. In addition to 40 ragtime-based piano solos, Keenan's works include a Piano Concertino, Magnificat for chorus and organ, and Three Songs on Ancient Chinese Texts for soprano and chamber ensemble. His compositions are acclaimed on the Minnesota Composer's Page.

More information from the Scott Joplin Organization.

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email: bpkeenan@earthlink.net

email:
bpkeenan@earthlink.net