Brian Buch

Position
Associate Professor
Affiliated Departments
Telephone
617-747-8119

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Pianist and composer Brian Buch received his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Indiana University and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from Boston University. His primary teachers have been Alla Cohen, Sam Headrick, Richard Cornell, and Sven-David Sandstrom. As a composer, Brian writes for all genres of classical and jazz music. As a pianist, Brian frequently performs classical and jazz throughout the United States. 

Many of Brian’s compositions have received national and international recognition (including the MTNA; Robert Helps; Lepo Sumera in Tallinn, Estonia; Moscow Conservatory; and Queen Elisabeth Composition Competitions in Brussels). His music has been performed and broadcasted throughout the world and is released on several record labels. Buch has released five albums of original music: Maze of Infinite Forms, Shifting Spheres, From the River Flow the Stars, Poems to Sing at Night, and Stone of Traveling Winds.

Career Highlights
  • Performances with the Talea Ensemble, Daedalus Quartet, JACK Quartet, RUSQuartet, Yevgeny Kutik, and Estonian National Symphony, and with members of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and New York Ballet
  • Recordings include Shifting Spheres, an album of chamber orchestra works (Centaur Records); From the River Flow the Stars, an album of string quartets (MSR Classics); Poems to Sing at Night, an album of solo piano works; and Stone of Traveling Winds, an album of chamber works
  • Arrangement of "Oyfn Pripetshik" for Yevgeny Kutik's Music from the Suitcase (Marquis Classics)
Awards
  • Winner, MTNA National Level Composition Competition (2007)
  • Finalist, Queen Elisabeth Composition Competition (2007)
  • Finalist, Fourth International Haifa Composers Competition
  • Finalist, II Lepo Sumera Composition Competition 
In Their Own Words

I want my students to understand our course material in a way that allows them to utilize the material in their own voice. I love seeing my students apply a topic to their own creative output, which in turn expands upon our lesson plan and broadens their musical vocabulary.

My background is very diverse. I have been playing and composing classical, jazz, and rock music my whole life, and have performed with all different types of groups of many musical genres. In my teaching and playing, I find it helpful to be able to talk about these cross relations. Relating new and foreign topics to my students through a familiar genre of music is very helpful in connecting with my class in our lessons.