Brandee Younger

A very versatile harpist, Brandee Younger has in her career already shown that she can play practically any style of music, whether it is jazz, classical or hip-hop. Born in Long Island, New York, she began studying harp as a teenager. Younger earned her Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance and Music Business at the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford, and her Masters from New York University. In classical music, she has been featured with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, the Soulful Symphony, the Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and the Red Bull Artsehcro. In hip-hop she has recorded with Common and Cassie. In jazz, harp soloists have always been very few in number. One can go through the music’s history and make a pretty complete list, with Casper Reardon, Adele Girard, Dorothy Ashby, Corky Hale, Alice Coltrane, Deborah Henson-Conant, Lori Andrews and one or two others. Brandee Younger is poised to take her place on the list for thus far she has performed with Ravi Coltrane, Charlie Haden, Kenny Garrett, Rashied Ali, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Steve Wilson, Nat Reeves, the Workman String Summit (led by Reggie Workman) and the Laura Kahle Quintet, headed by trumpeter Laura Kahle. Brandee Younger also teaches privately at the Hartt School Community Division.