The New School’s College of Performing Arts Welcomes Acclaimed Flutist Brandon Patrick George to Wind Faculty
New York, NY (Feb 12, 2025) – The New School’s College of Performing Arts – Mannes, Jazz, Drama, today announced the appointment of acclaimed flutist and Grammy winning performer Brandon Patrick George to the faculty of the esteemed performing arts school. As a faculty member in the Mannes School of Music, Brandon Patrick George will provide mentorship to a new generation of musicians, guiding them in technical mastery, creative expression and the practical realities of a professional music career.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to join the superb faculty of Mannes, an innovative school leading the way in training successful artists in the 21st century. I hope that my varied experience as a soloist, orchestral musician, and teacher will help students discover their path to a rewarding life in music,” said Patrick George.
“I have been following Brandon’s career now for quite some time. When I first heard his debut solo album in 2020, I was blown away by both his playing and his musical vision and knew then that he would eventually have to join the Mannes faculty, if we were so lucky. It is always a wonderful moment when a new faculty member comes on board and you can’t wait to see how they will further enrich the community. Well, I am so happy that Brandon is now at Mannes and know that great things are to come from this, for so many students, faculty, and staff, “ said Richard Kessler, Executive Dean of the College of Performing Arts and Dean of Mannes School of Music.
Brandon Patrick George is a GRAMMY award-winning flutist whose repertoire extends from the Baroque era to today. He is the flutist of Imani Winds and has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Albany symphonies, American Composers Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others. He has been praised as “elegant” by The New York Times, as a “virtuoso” by The Washington Post, and as a “knockout musician with a gorgeous sound” by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brandon has performed at the Elbphilharmonie, the Kennedy Center, the Dresden Music Festival, and the Prague Spring Festival. In addition to his work with Imani Winds, Brandon’s solo performances include appearances at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 92nd Street Y, Tippet Rise, and Maverick Concerts. In 2021, Brandon was part of the inaugural class of WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab, a program designed to advance the careers of early and mid-career artists and support the future of classical music. During his yearlong residency at WQXR, Brandon guest hosted Evening Music, interviewed Ford Foundation president Darren Walker about diversity and equity in the performing arts, and recorded with pianist Aaron Diehl and harpist June Han.
Prior to his solo career, Brandon performed as a guest with many of the world’s leading ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). He has performed as guest principal flute with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and has appeared at Walt Disney Concert Hall and at the Hollywood Bowl with Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. His ensemble work allowed him to work closely with some of the foremost composers of our time including John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Tania León, Steve Reich, and George Lewis. Brandon trained at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with Michel Debost, in Paris with Sophie Cherrier, and received a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. He continued his studies under the guidance of Lorna McGhee, now principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Brandon joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2021 and has taught at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. He regularly leads masterclasses at prestigious conservatories, including the Royal Academy of Music, Yale School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. As a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music, Patrick George will lead classes and ensembles, teach private lessons, develop and create new projects, and share with students his depth of experience as an accomplished soloist, orchestral musician, and teacher.
For more information on Brandon Patrick George: https://www.brandonpatrickgeorge.com
The College of Performing Arts at The New School was formed in 2015 and draws together the Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the School of Drama. With each school contributing its unique culture of creative excellence, the College of Performing Arts is a hub for vigorous training, cross-disciplinary collaboration, bold experimentation, innovative education, and world-class performances.
The 1,000 students at the College of Performing Arts are actors, performers, writers, improvisers, creative technologists, entrepreneurs, composers, arts managers, and multidisciplinary artists who believe in the transformative power of the arts for all people. Students and faculty collaborate with colleagues across The New School in a wide array of disciplines, from the visual arts and fashion design, to the social sciences, public policy, advocacy, and more.
The curriculum at the College of Performing Arts is dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to the changing arts and culture landscape. New degrees and coursework, like the new graduate degrees for Performer-Composers and Artist Entrepreneurs are designed to challenge highly skilled artists to experiment, innovate, and engage with the past, present, and future of their artforms. New York City’s Greenwich Village provides the backdrop for the College of Performing Arts, which is housed at Arnhold Hall on West 13th Street and the historic Westbeth Artists Community on Bank Street.
Founded in 1916 by America’s first great violin recitalist and noted educator, David Mannes, and pianist and educator Clara Damrosch Mannes, the Mannes School of Music is a standard-bearer for foundational excellence and radically progressive music education, dedicated to supporting the development of creative and socially engaged artists. Through its undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies programs, Mannes offers a curriculum as imaginative as it is rigorous, taught by a world-class faculty and visiting artists. Distinguished Mannes alumni include the 20th-century songwriting legend Burt Bacharach, the great pianists Michel Camilo, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, and Bill Evans, acclaimed conductors Semyon Bychkov, Myung-Whun Chung, JoAnn Falletta, and Julius Rudel, beloved mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, as well as the great opera stars of today, Yonghoon Lee, Danielle de Niese, and Nadine Sierra. As part of The New School’s College of Performing Arts, together with the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and the School of Drama, Mannes makes its home on The New School’s Greenwich Village campus in a state-of-the-art facility at the newly renovated Arnhold Hall.
Founded in 1919, The New School was established to advance academic freedom, tolerance, and experimentation. A century later, The New School remains at the forefront of innovation in higher education, inspiring more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students to challenge the status quo in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, the arts, and media. The university welcomes thousands of adult learners annually for continuing education courses and public programs that encourage open discourse and social engagement. Through our online learning portals, research institutes, and international partnerships, The New School maintains a global presence.