Associate Dean, Faculty of Music - Planning and CurriculumDirector, Percussion EnsembleMusician in Residence, PercussionFaculty of MusicMusicWaterloo, Ontariobconnolly@wlu.ca
An award-winning percussionist and educator, Brennan Connolly holds a Master of Music degree in performance from Oklahoma City University and a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the University of Western Ontario. For the last decade, he has been studying the traditional drum-dance musi...
An award-winning percussionist and educator, Brennan Connolly holds a Master of Music degree in performance from Oklahoma City University and a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the University of Western Ontario. For the last decade, he has been studying the traditional drum-dance music of Ghana, West Africa with master drummer Kwasi Dunyo.
Brennan works as a professional percussionist across numerous musical genres and styles. He performs regularly with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Jeans ‘n’ Classics Rock Symphony and has also performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic, London Symphonia and Windsor Symphony Orchestra. An active theatre musician, he has also performed many shows in the pit at the Stratford Festival and with Drayton Entertainment.
Brennan currently teaches studio percussion and percussion courses at Wilfrid Laurier University and works regularly as a guest clinician, delivering workshops to students of all ages and supporting music educators across the province in their professional development. He is a founding member of Duo Percussion, a contemporary chamber percussion ensemble known for their high-energy performances and commitment to music education.
Brennan is proud to hold artist endorsements with Pearl/Adams Drums and Concert Percussion, Dream Cymbals and Gongs and BlackSwamp Percussion.
Research Interests / Ongoing Projects:
I am currently involved in developing a partnership between Laurier’s Faculty of Music and the University of Ghana with the hope that traditional Ghanaian drum/dance music could provide a link between our two schools and support institutional collaboration, field courses and opportunities for faculty and student exchanges.