Described as a “virtuoso, scholar, [and] presenter … of rare charm and lucidity” by the press, recorder player Brendan O’Donnell is dedicated to bringing early and contemporary music to life for the audiences of today. He has earned a reputation for direct communication and thoughtful programming, inviting listeners to experience music they might otherwise never encounter.

From his performances in The Rhino Room and The Promethean with Bowerbird Ensemble in Adelaide, to concerts with Cembaless in a historical building site in Würzburg and Herbrand’s Club in Cologne, Brendan regularly aims events at young adult audiences, foregoing traditional concert venues in favour of settings that encourage intimacy, interaction, and dynamic presentation.

Brendan is a regular performer with Ensemble Galante and Adelaide Baroque and has taken part in the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the acclaimed Woodend Winter Arts Festival. For several years he performed with Munich-based Ensemble Raccanto in locations such as the Bach Museum in Leipzig and the Barocksaal in Benediktbauern Abbey. He was also chosen to present his solo program “Seeking Australia” as a part of the European Recorder Players’ Society conference in Bolzano, Italy in 2019.

After first completing a degree in political science, Brendan went on to study recorder at a tertiary level: first in New Zealand with Kamala Bain, later in Salzburg with Dorothee Oberlinger, where he completed a master’s degree in 2013.