BRANDON JAMES GWINN (he/they) is a singer-pianist, composer-lyricist and producer lauded "one hell of an entertainer" by the Bistro Awards. His albums BULLIT and NOT TOO LATE are now available everywhere music is streamed and downloaded. Brandon toured the US and Canada promoting the EP on a LiveNation tour. He produced and performed on TWO BIRDS & ONE STONE the first and second albums released by Trixie Mattel (Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Allstars 3), which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Top Albums chart and the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Charts. Brandon also directs and produces music for Alexis Michelle (Drag Race Season 9) and Pandora Boxx (All Stars 5). He composed theme music for George Takei's web series IT TAKEIS TWO and co-wrote the title track on the album LEIDO for Colombian-American pop artist WINSTAR. He is the 2021 Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award.

 

Brandon created the horrifying score and soundscape to THE SEANCE MACHINE Off-Broadway (The Tank) He is the composer and co-lyricist of TL;DR. THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX (2021 Richard Rodgers Award, Rhinebeck Writer’s Residency & Triple R Residency, UArts Polyphone Festival 2020, O’Neill NMTC Incubator Residency, National Alliance of Musical Theatre New Musicals Festival 33), COTTON CANDY & COCAINE (Theatre C), QUEER. PEOPLE. TIME. (Catwalk Residency, Dramatists Guild Fellowship, The Tank), and UNDERWEAR: A SPACE MUSICAL (2008 New York International Fringe Festival, 2012 American College Theatre Festival). 

 

His music and lyrics for MATCHMAKER MATCHMAKER, I’M WILLING TO SETTLE premiered at the American Repertory Theatre, Oberon in Boston and the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival. He co-wrote songs for The Civilian’s Lobby Project musicals before (and based on interviews about) the City Center Off-Center productions of SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD and WORKING. Brandon is also the composer and co-lyricist of the New York Theatre Barn Commission SMALL TOWN STORY (National Alliance of Musical Theatre Writer's Residency Grant, finalist Richard Rodgers award, Village Theatre New Musicals Festival in Seattle, World Premiere at American Theatre Group in Spring 2018.) He has been an artist in residence at Ars Nova and was a 2015-2016 Dramatists Guild Fellow. 

 

His work with frequent collaborator EllaRose Chary is featured on a star-studded album entitled PLACE & TIME: SONGS BY ELLAROSE CHARY AND BRANDON JAMES GWINN and features performances by Emmy Nominee Tituss Burgess, Tony Award Nominee Amber Gray, Tony Award Winner Daisy Eagan, Broadway’s Telly Leung, Alyhsa Umphress, Troy Iwata and more (available for download and streaming. More info at www.brandonandella.com)

 

Brandon is a proud voting member of the Recording Academy, the American Federation of Musicians, The Americana Music Association, ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild of America. He is an MFA graduate of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. 

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