Brandon Ilaw is a versatile musician based in New York City who recently won second prize in the 2014 TROMP International Percussion Competition Eindhoven (Netherlands) and first prize in the 2016 Necessary Noise Festival Solo Percussion Competition. As a soloist, he has performed Louis Andriessen’s Tapdance with Asko|Schönberg in Eindhoven, and has also appeared as a guest soloist with the Orchestra of Indian Hill and the Boston Conservatory Orchestra. In July 2015, Brandon was a Showcase Artist at the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and performed a solo recital with Emmanuel Séjourné in addition to concerts with Marimolin, Jack Van Geem, and Steve Mackey.
As an educator, Brandon has given recitals and led master classes at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Boston Conservatory, and Juilliard’s Summer Percussion Seminar. He proudly holds two degrees: a bachelor’s in percussion performance from the Boston Conservatory, studying with Samuel Z. Solomon and Nancy Zeltsman, where he was the Marillyn Zacharis Scholar and the recipient of the Arthur B. Whitney Award for highest academic rank; and a master’s from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Daniel Druckman and Glen Velez, where he was awarded the William Schuman Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. As part of his fellowship with Ensemble Connect, Brandon teaches at Port Richmond High School on Staten Island.