BRIAN KELLY is an American composer, pianist, and recording artist who has released three contemporary piano instrumental albums and published two sheet music songbooks. Brian's latest release, Butterfly Rapture (his first solo piano album), is a collection of twelve neoclassical pieces with jazz, gospel, and Celtic influences. The work gives voice to his playful, sophisticated musicality and dazzling playing ability. Brian’s previous album, Afterplay, was awarded second place in the “Best Instrumental Jazz Album” category of the Just Plain Folks Music Awards and “#2 Contemporary Jazz Album” by Independent Music Awards. 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. Brian's debut album, Pools of Light, charted #1 on the ZMR world/newage/ambient international 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). 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Stellar piano work. Great fluidity of line, wonderfully elegant." - TAXI A&R Review "Melodic and sparkling" - Serge Kozlovsky "Kelly's music has that wonderful dream-like quality that comes out of the mist and pulls you towards the light." - New Age Reporter