As a trumpeter, composer, arranger and band leader, multi-instrumentalist Brian Boyes has worked in Vermont for over 20 years. As a member of a variety of award wining ensembles including the national touring jazz-funk act, viperHouse, he has been recognized for his soulful and intense approach to his trumpet.
Most recently, Brian Boyes has been celebrated and recognized for his work as the composer and conductor of the 18-piece post-rock, big band, The Saturn People’s Sound Collective. As a recipient of a Vermont Community Foundation Arts Endowment grant and a Goddard College Concerts commission, Boyes and the Saturn Collective have sent shockwaves throughout the VT musical community leaving an indelible imprint amongst Vermont’s tastemakers and diverse music lovers alike. Says Seven Days of the group’s 2013 headlining Discover Jazz Festival performance, “Mind blowing radness . . . The Saturn People’s set at The FlynnSpace on Tuesday was simply transcendent, not merely a local highlight, but a festival topper, period.”
Brian Boyes is no stranger when it comes to working with large ensemble; including The Big Bang Bhangra Brass Band and Movement of the People: The Fela Kuti Project - both projects exploring the intersection of global music and jazz improvisation.
As an educator Brian Boyes has twice received special recognition from the Vermont Arts Alliance for his unique and creative approach to music education at Cabot School and is a three-time recipient of Cabot School’s Teacher of the Year award. In 2014, Brian was awarded a Rowland Foundation Fellowship to develop and implement a significant project of educational transformation in Vermont.
Brian is the founder and creative director of SoundCheck - a band of select VT high school musicians writing and performing original music to fight for social justice. SoundCheck students work with music educators, prominent singer-songwriters and anti-racist educators to develop original material that tackles racism, injustice and hate. The band regularly performs and facilitates workshops at New England high schools using art and music as a catalyst to spark dialogue, action and awareness.
Brian holds two degrees from Goddard College; BA Music Performance & Composition (with minor in Ethnomusicology); MA Education (Infusing Performing Arts into Project Based Learning).
