Christmas

Brandon H. Allen (Musical Director for Christmas, Pianist, and Lead and Back Up Vocalist)

 

Born into a family of musicians and ministers going back generations,  Brandon H. Allen was born to make music. By the age of 7, Allen was singing lead in his church's gospel choir.



At 10 he was admitted into The Boys Choir of Harlem and by the age of 12, Allen had secured a spot in their main choir that toured across the country. He recorded the "Christmas With The Boys Choir of Harlem" album and had the opportunity to perform alongside Kathleen Battle and Aretha Franklin.



Upon entering Talent Unlimited for high school, Allen, as a choir member, sang behind Whitney Houston. In his senior year, Allen transferred to the Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas; Allen would go on to achieve the 1st Chair Bass 2 position within the TMEA All-State Choir of 2004, his first vocal competition ever. During his high school years, Allen was also a scholarship student at the Western Wind Ensemble summer workshops at Smith College in Northampton, MA. where he first met John Hanifin.



Earning a music scholarship, Allen attended The University of Texas at San Antonio for three years, studying Classical and Opera, while a love of writing and producing R&B/Hip Hop songs silently grew.



Allen transferred to Berklee College of Music after receiving their North America Tour Scholarship Award. Throughout his years at Berklee, he had the opportunity to sing with Bobby McFerrin, Bootsy Collins, Patrice Rushen, Michael McDonald and many others. In 2011, he graduated from Berklee with a degree in Music Business.

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​It was after both Hanifin and Allen had graduated from college that they would reconnect to make music. "When John showed me the demo for his "Set Aside" project, I was truly fascinated. It was an incredible mix of classical with more contemporary genres, a new sound." Allen went on to record a substantial amount of the background vocals and co-produce the project.



​Currently, alongside playing keys and singing with the band, Allen teaches voice, piano and music theory to Boston youth.