Brandon K. Harper
Jazz Pianist & Composer
Jazz at Lincoln Center National Collegiate Jazz Championship
Piano Performance
Combo Performance / Arrangement
About Me
Brandon Harper is a Chicago-based jazz pianist and a 2024 Ravinia Steans Msic Institute fellow, where he studied with Rufus Reid, Billy Childs, and Steve Wilson. He began studying piano in the ninth grade after first training as a percussionist, earning ILMEA All-State honors in classical percussion and performing with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.
At age 20, Harper has performed at venues including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Andy’s Jazz Club, and Jazz Showcase, and has appeared with ensembles led by Isaiah Spencer, Greg Ward, and other Chicago-based artists. His work focuses on small-ensemble performance and collaborative musicianship.
In 2026, Harper received Honorable Mentions in Piano and Combo Arrangement at the Jazz at Lincoln Center National Collegiate Jazz Championship. He is also a 2024 YoungArts winner and currently studies Jazz Studies at Northwestern University under Derrick Gardner. He is an alumnus of Jazz Links and a past Kiewet–Wang co-winner, an award recognizing Chicago’s top high school jazz musicians through the Jazz Institute of Chicago.
Harper is an alumnus of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Summer Jazz Academy, the NAfME All-National Honors Ensemble for Jazz, and previously served as a Ravinia Jazz Scholar.
Videos
Greg Ward Quintet65 Windmills
Marques Carroll Trumpet Summit
The Isaiah Spencer Quartet
Greg Ward QuintetHungry Brain Tune
Clif Wallace's Big Band Andy's Jazz Club • Chicago
Original Compositions Ravinia Steans Music Institute Jazz Program