Biography
Geoff Brown is an eclectic musician, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and composer from Boston, MA. Gaining most of his training on guitar and mandolin, he has played in many groups ranging from classical and jazz to funk, rock, bluegrass, Celtic, and folk. With such a broad musical background, he has carved a unique place for himself as an independent artist, drawing upon all his influences and creating acoustic music that reflects his compositional and improvisational trademarks in his recordings and live performances.
Geoff studied privately, taught, performed, and recorded during high school. After absorbing as much as he could on his own, he moved to Hollywood, CA and attended The Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) where he received a rigorous training on the instrument. He studied electric guitar with Scott Henderson (Tribal Tech, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul) and in either master classes, group lessons, or private lessons, studied with Wayne Krantz, Joe Diorio, Mike Stern, Pat Martino, Victor Wooten, Larry Carlton, and Robben Ford. While in Hollywood, he also performed in a number of bands, including a guitar showcase at the Knitting Factory. At GIT, he became a fluent improviser in several contemporary styles including jazz, funk, and rock-fusion music.
After GIT, Geoff attended Tufts University in Medford, MA where he received a broad education covering music history, ethnomusicology, music theory, composition, orchestration, and conducting while continually improving his practical skills on his instruments through private instruction and a number of ensembles. Throughout his eclectic career at Tufts, Geoff composed a large number of classical works for chamber groups and solo piano. He was elected to the highly selective Phi Beta Kappa honors society, graduated Summa Cum Laude, and received perfect marks on His Honors Thesis.
Throughout College, Geoff studied privately with guitarist Tim Miller at Berklee College of Music. He was the bandleader of a funk/jazz ensemble that performed extensively throughout New England. He recorded actively with various bands and solo artists and released eight independent records of his original compositions which he regularly performed with great success throughout New England.
At Tufts, he participated in ensembles in jazz, Javanese gamelan, klezmer, and African music and had intensive studies on traditional "roots" music, both Celtic and bluegrass with John McGann (National Mandolin Champion, Berklee Professor, Touring and Recording Artist) on mandolin.
While residing in Cambridge, MA, Geoff studied at Longy School of Music where he earned his Master of Music degree in Guitar Performance. Under the tutelage of renowned classical guitarist David Patterson, Geoff graduated with distinction, earning a 3.95 GPA, publishing 2 instructional books, and creating educational outreach programs which he performed in venues such as Boston's Symphony Hall and The Boston Children Museum. In addition to his classical studies, he studied improvisation with jazz guru Charlie Banacos.
Geoff Brown is part of the guitar faculty at Powers Music School in Belmont, MA and is part of the music faculty at Cambridge Center for Adult Education where he teaches courses in Mandolin, Classical Guitar, and Music Composition. He now resides in Medford, MA where he teaches lessons and classes in his private music studio. He currently composes, performs, and records with his group Hickory Strings.