In 2010, he was awarded a commission from the Arizona Commission on the Arts to compose the band composition celebrating the Arizona Centennial during 2011-12. In 2015, he was selected to receive the 2018 Thor Johnson Memorial Commission from the Delta Omicron Foundation. He received Honorable Mention in the 2016 American Prize in chamber music composition and has been a recipient of an ASCAP Special Award annually since 1998.
His music has been recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Bulgarica, the Kiev Philharmonic, and by numerous solo and chamber music artists. Tuba/Euphonium Press, Trombone Association Publishing, Imagine Music, Hamar Publication, and Co-Op Press publish his music. His book, “A Composer’s Guide to Understanding Music with Activities for Listeners, Interpreters, and Composers” is published by Co-op Press.
Sy Brandon (b. 1945 in New York, NY) holds the rank of professor emeritus of music from Millersville University, Millersville, PA where he taught low brass, composition, orchestration, music history, electronic music, and music industry for twenty-four years. He received his B.S. and M.S. in music education from Ithaca College and his A. mus. D. in composition from the University of Arizona. His composition teachers include Warren Benson, Elie Siegmeister, and Robert McBride.