Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is an award-winning American composer, pianist, and recording artist producing contemporary instrumental and solo piano music. He has released three contemporary piano instrumental albums and published two sheet music songbooks.

Brian's latest release, Butterfly Rapture, is a collection of twelve solo piano neoclassical pieces with jazz, gospel, and Celtic influences. The album, Kelly's third studio album, was awarded Best Instrumental/Piano Album in the Akedemia Music Awards (February 2016), and was awarded three medals from the Global Music Awards: a Silver Medal for Album (June 2016), a Silver Medal for Composition/Composer of the title-track “Butterfly Rapture” (June 2016), and a Bronze Medal for Instrumental Performance Solo (March 2016). Butterfly Rapture was nominated 2015 “Contemporary and Modern” Album of the Year by SoloPiano.com and “Piano Escapade,” the opening track, was nominated for a 2016 Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) in the New Age/Ambient category. The album charted #4 on the Zone Music Reporter Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart in January 2016.

Brian’s previous album, Afterplay, was awarded second place in the “Best Instrumental Jazz Album” category of the Just Plain Folks Music Awards; and "Celtic Fire," track #8 from the album, was nominated "Best Instrumental Jazz Song." Afterplay ranked third on the New Age Reporter Top 100 Radio Chart for three months in a row (November 2008 thru January 2009) and was chosen as a “Best of 2008” pick by Audiosyncracy. The album features Eric Crystal on sax, David Rokeach on drums, and Viviana Guzman on flute.

Brian's debut album, Pools of Light, charted #1 on the Zone Music Reporter radio charts for two months in a row (June and July 2005) and garnered him a “Best New Artist” nomination in the 2005 Lifestyle Music Awards. Pools of Light was voted Top 10 Best New Age Albums of 2004 by Kathy Parsons of Solo Piano Publications.

Brian was Keyboard Magazine’s Annual Reader Tape Contest winner for the recording of his composition “Todd Pond,” which is included on the flexi-disc Soundpage in the February 1990 issue. His music has been featured in television (Travel Channel, BBC Worldwide, MTV), film (NBA Entertainment), in-flight programming (United, JetBlue, Continental, Southwest), and receives airplay from radio stations and satellite music networks around the world (Music Choice, XM Radio, Pandora, Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio). His sheet music songbooks, published by Skylight Music, include: Pools of Light Solo Piano Songbook and Tomorrow’s Daydream Solo Piano Songbook.

Born in New York City, Brian grew up in Palo Alto, California. He began his piano studies at age 8, creating pieces for his mother who played classical piano at home and violin for a community opera company. Brian has extensive experience as a stage actor and singer, having performed in numerous plays and musical theatre productions, including several leading roles at TheatreWorks and the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. He studied music composition with Roland Wiggins at Hampshire College and Lewis Spratlan at Amherst College; improvisation with members of the world-fusion group Oregon (Ralph Towner and Paul McCandless) and pianist Art Lande at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado; and jazz piano with Andy Laverne in New York City.

Brian is a graduate of Hampshire College, a voting member of The Recording Academy, and currently resides with his wife and their two tuxedo cats in the San Francisco Bay Area.

CURRENT PROJECT: Brian Kelly is currently producing a contemporary jazz album of his own compositions featuring sax player Eric Crystal (Boz Scaggs, Vijay Iyer...), trumpet player Mike Olmos (Etta James, Pete Escovedo...), and drummer David Rokeach (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles). Stay tuned!

Awards

2016 - Bronze Medal Winner - Instrumental Performance Solo: Butterfly Rapture album - Global Music Awards

2016 (February) - Winner - Best Instrumental / Piano Album Album: Butterfly Rapture - Akademia Music Awards

2016 - nominee - Best New Age/Ambient Song: "Piano Escapade" - Hollywood Music In Media (HMMA) Awards

2015 - nominee - Best "Contemporary and Modern" Album of the Year: Butterfly Rapture - SoloPiano.com

2009 - second place - Best Instrumental Jazz Album: Afterplay - Just Plain Folks Music Awards.

2009 - nominee - Best Instrumental Jazz Song: "Celtic Fire", track #8 from Afterplay album - Just Plain Folks Music Awards.

2005 - nominee - Best New Artist - NAR Lifestyle Music Awards.

1990 - winner - Keyboard Magazine's 5th Annual Reader's Soundpage Contest (Flexi-Disc of winning composition, "Todd Pond", included in Feb. 1990 issue)