Brandee Younger

Brandee Younger

Brandee Younger is an American harpist and composer from Hempstead, New York. Born in 1983, she grows up on Long Island, where she begins studying the harp as a teenager. She works in contemporary jazz, jazz and soul jazz, and is also associated with funk and classical performance.

Education and training

Younger studies harp performance and music business at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford, where she also receives mentoring through the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and African American Studies. She goes on to earn a Master of Arts in Harp Performance from New York University. Her university-level teachers include Rebecca Flannery, Susan Jolles, Emily Mitchell and bassist Nat Reeves.

Performance and collaborations

Classically trained, Younger performs with orchestras including the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, Waterbury Symphony, Soulful Symphony, Ensemble Du Monde, Camerata New York and the Red Bull-sponsored Artsehcro. She also works with jazz musicians including Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Wycliffe Gordon, Charlie Haden, Reggie Workman, Kenny Garrett, Rashied Ali and Bill Lee.

Outside jazz, she collaborates with hip-hop artists and producers including Common, Ryan Leslie, Cassie, Talib Kweli and Drake. She performs as a soloist and with the Brandee Younger Trio, and also appears regularly with the Workman String Summit, the Laura Kahle Quintet and the Natural Spirit Orchestra.

Teaching and other roles

Younger runs a private teaching studio in New York. She teaches harp at the Hartt School, Adelphi University and the Greenwich House Music School. She is also vice president of the Long Island chapter of the American Harp Society.