Brendan Milburn (keyboards/vocals) graduated from Pomona College and NYU’s MFA program in Musical Theatre Writing. He does a lot of arranging for GrooveLily, and he’s an accomplished record producer as well. He often yearns for his native San Francisco. Seth Rogovoy wrote: “Milburn was a deft pianist, his nimble fingerwork doing double-duty as the band’s bassist and provider of its harmonic foundation, delivered with the jazzy sophistication of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and the rock and roll theatrics of Billy Joel.” Brendan’s music and/or lyrics have been/will be featured in a growing number of off/on-Broadway shows, and he’s always on the lookout for new projects/productions which will add more slashes (“/”) to his bio/credits.
Along with his wife and longtime collaborator Valerie Vigoda, Brendan is a 2009 winner of the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, as well as a two-time winner of the Jonathan Larson Award for Excellence in Writing for the Theatre.
The success of their first concert-musical, the critically-acclaimed holiday show STRIKING 12, has led them farther into the world of theater, where they have carved out a unique niche as a rock band writing and performing shows. After years on the indie touring circuit, they are delighted to be creating many projects with various collaborators: STRIKING 12 (Off-Broadway 2006, Lucille Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Musical, Bay Area Theatre Critic’s Choice Award); TOY STORY THE MUSICAL (Disney); SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES (Deaf West Theatre/Center Theatre Group/McCarter Theatre, two 2007 Ovation Awards, including World Premiere Musical); WHEELHOUSE GrooveLily’s autobiographical concert-musical (in development); LONG STORY SHORT (City Theatre of Pittsburgh/TheatreWorks Palo Alto/San Diego Rep); A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (McCarter Theatre/Paper Mill Playhouse); and ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME, a new 1-woman fever-dream musical (La Jolla Playhouse/TheatreWorks Palo Alto). Brendan lives in Los Angeles with wife Valerie Vigoda and 5-year-old son Mose.