Check Out Conor Abbott Brown’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Conor Abbott Brown

Conor, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I spent most of my childhood in Boulder, CO, where I was surrounded by an eclectic mix of music from an early age. My parents Kevan and Debbie always had music playing in the living room from all over the world, and my godmother Pilar, who grew up in New York City to Cuban and Jewish parents, taught me Spanish and sent me CD’s from many countries she worked in. I started playing clarinet when I was eight years old. In addition to being serious about classical music from the beginning, I also loved klezmer and Balkan clarinet music and studied those traditions.

As a teenager, I was part of the Mojo Brass Band played for Balkan dance parties around the Denver area. After receiving undergraduate degrees from the Bard Conservatory in New York, where I had the opportunity to study with two of my heroes and now good friends David Krakauer (classical and klezmer clarinet) and Joan Tower (composition), I returned to Colorado: I missed the mountains here too much to stay away! Since then, I’ve been writing music for orchestras, chamber ensembles, choirs, films, and dance companies, performing as a freelance clarinetist, and arranging, rotating, and producing music for other composers and artists. My freelance career has become as eclectic as the music I grew up listening to. I’m also working on a doctorate in music composition at CU Boulder and teaching a course there called Introduction to Music Technology.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I entered the world of recorded music just as streaming platforms were taking over from CD’s. It’s very difficult in the current climate to break even when recording an album, much less to put food on the table from album sales. Most of my largest compositions, despite performances by notable orchestras, remain unreleased in recorded form. Because of this, sometimes I wonder if the music I make has any value: in those moments, I have to work hard to remind myself of the positivity I’ve received from performers and audiences and that I still believe strongly in my music’s artistic merit. I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to make ends meet through my music career from sources that aren’t recordings. COVID hasn’t been easy either: I formed a Pink Mage band in late 2019 with my colleagues John Boggs, Matt O’Koren, and Anthony Kingsley. We were poised to begin playing live shows in April of 2020. That didn’t quite work out as planned.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Recently, I have worked in several films. I was the arranger and music co-producer for The Social Dilemma: I collaborated with Colorado-based composer Mark Crawford and many excellent musicians from across the Front Range to record the film score. The film has now been viewed at least 38 million times on Netflix. I was also the choral producer for the film Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler: all of the vocal parts for that film’s score were recorded in Boulder by musicians based here in Colorado. I’m currently writing the score for the feature-length drama Unconformity. I love writing music for orchestras and wind symphonies and have had pieces performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Albany Symphony, and others. Soon, the University of Colorado Wind Symphony will be premiering a new piece I wrote in collaboration with LA-based composer Derrick Spiva Jr. that addresses issues of social justice and the pandemic. A past Denver concert that I’m incredibly proud of was organized by Travis Branam and 303 Choir and involved mixed youth choir and adult choir, including members of Spirit of Grace, the Colorado Symphony Chorus, and Solis Singers. I collaborated with John Boggs to write a composition for the concert and sang in the choir. The youth choir brought an immediacy and urgency to the vocal percussion lines that wove in and out of tight harmonies sung by the adult choir. We had a blast performing the piece together. Vocal Coalition is a stellar organization and I continue to work with them, notating music by Colorado-based artists for the youth choir to learn and perform. When Jónsi (of Sigur Rós) and Alex came through Denver in the fall of 2019 for their Riceboy Sleeps tour, I contracted the 42-piece orchestra and choir for their show at the Paramount Theater and performed in the orchestra as a clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and whirly tube spinner. I’ve been a fan of Jónsi and Alex for a long time, so it was amazing to be up on stage with them surrounded by my Front Range colleagues.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I enjoy being a part of the community of musicians in the Denver area! I’m still salty that there’s no sign of Denver’s train to Boulder and Longmont that was voted for back in 2004.

• Email: conor@conorbrownmusic.com
• Website: www.conorbrownmusic.com
• Other: https://conorabbottbrown.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Coco Martin Matthew Staver Michelle Christiance