BIOGRAPHY

Brandon Berens is the Assistant Orchestra Director at Faubion Middle School in McKinney ISD. Prior to his time at Faubion, he was the Assistant Orchestra Director at Murphy Middle School in Plano ISD. He is also the principal cellist of the Allen Philharmonic, a professional symphony orchestra. Orchestras under his direction have earned purely "Superior" awards at UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest and displayed skill levels beyond that of many middle school ensembles. In 2021, Mr. Berens had the pleasure of directing the Faubion Honors Orchestra, which later went on to earn the Mark of Excellence National Winner Award. He has conducted school and even summer camp orchestras in venues throughout Texas, including at the Texas State Capitol Rotunda in Austin. Soon, he and Kari Zamora will take the Faubion Honors Orchestra to perform at the 77th Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in December 2023.

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Mr. Berens graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Texas at Arlington in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Music with EC-12 Teacher Certification, a specialization in Conducting, and a minor in Spanish. While at UT Arlington, he studied cello with Keira Fullerton, Craig Leffer, and Dr. John Burton. He also studied conducting under Dr. Clifton Evans and Dr. Doug Stotter, with opportunities to conduct the University of Texas at Arlington Symphony Orchestra as well as the Wind Symphony. An avid chamber music performer, he was the principal cellist and writer of program notes for the UTA Symphony Orchestra while he was a student there. He has frequently performed professionally in Texas, as well as the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and as the principal cellist of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra. Because Brandon was a recipient of a full scholarship through the Terry Foundation (the largest source of private college funding in Texas), he funneled his passion for music education into years of intense involvement and leadership in various on-campus organizations.

 

His passions for representation and advocacy during his collegiate career led him to be elected for multiple terms as Senator for the College of Liberal Arts in Student Government, with the task of making decisions on behalf of thousands of students at the University. He also helped create and manage a multicultural organization, Malala’s Mavericks, which advocates for womens’ rights and education in third world countries through the story of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai. In addition to these leadership opportunities, Brandon helped revive the professional music organization Collegiate Texas Music Educators (CTME) and served one year as Co-President, preceded by two years as Vice-President. He spent his final summer at UT Arlington studying Spanish in Madrid, Spain as part of his Spanish minor.

 

As a product of Arlington ISD, Mr. Berens was fortunate to be under the direction of Diane Harper at Young Jr. High as well as Michael Stringer and Jennifer Lemin at Martin High School, where he made All-Region Orchestras all four years. He made history as part of the TMEA 2015 Honor String Orchestra, a first for the accomplished school. 

 

Mr. Berens holds memberships in the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Texas Orchestra Director's Association (TODA), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

 

In his free time, Brandon enjoys swing dancing with his wife Grace, playing video games, cuddling with his wonderful dog Buddy, performing locally on cello in a variety of styles, spending time with close friends and family, singing with his fraternity brothers, and volunteering in his local community.