Composer, flutist, and Cleveland native Bryan Kennard is in demand as a writer and performer. In 2020, he received his doctoral degree in Jazz Composition from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music where he served as a Teaching Assistant for the Studio Music and Jazz department as well as Coordinator / Composition Fellow for the Henry Mancini Institute. He earned a master’s in Jazz Composition from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s in Flute Performance from Youngstown State University, and bachelor degree in music from Mercyhurst University.

As a writer, Bryan has written studio orchestra arrangements for performances with Maria Schneider, Donny McCaslin, Kate Reid, Ann Hampton Callaway, and Kirk Whalum. He has been commissioned to write original compositions for soloists, school ensembles, classical ensembles, and professional jazz groups. Recent works include pieces for big band, flute choir, solo violin, and more. He has presented his music in master classes with jazz composers like Billy Childs, Darcy James Argue, and Vince Mendoza at the International Society for Jazz Arrangers and Composers Symposia, and he has worked privately and in workshops with renowned composers and arrangers including Gary Lindsay, John Daversa, Stephen Guerra, Christine Jensen, John Mills, Dave Morgan, and Maria Schneider.

Since returning to Northeast Ohio, Bryan has performed with his quintet at the Bop Stop and appeared as a guest performer with area musicians like Bobby Selvaggio and Jeremey Poparad. Bryan's octet with Austin-based guitarist/composer Marco Santos debuted in the spring of 2022 at Monks Jazz Club in Austin, TX. He has performed and shared his music at such events as the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, the Jazz Educators Network Conference, the National Flute Association Convention, the International Double Reed Society Convention, and the Texas Music Educators Association Convention. He was awarded the 2016 Stribling Award for Excellence in Jazz Studies while attending UT, was a Young Composer Showcase selectee at the 2019 JEN Conference, and received multiple Downbeat Student Music Awards for performance, composition, arranging, and engineering. Bryan has been on faculty at Youngstown State University teaching courses in jazz, composition, and music theory. He recently accepted a position as Director of the Bop Stop, which is affiliated with The Music Settlement, a 501(c)(3) community music organization serving the region through outreach, lesson programs, music therapy, and early childhood development.