"Singing with a pure, centered sound and impeccable diction, he’s a natural-born storyteller. At times a the lead vocalist of a rock band, at times an art-song singer, and at others a shy poet, he had you hanging onto his every word."
Cleveland.com
"The most affecting vocal performance"
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Brian Kay is a modern-day troubadour. He is the first Artistic Leadership Fellow of Apollo's Fire and in 2019, he won a GRAMMY® Award for his work on their Songs of Orpheus recording. He has performed throughout the world at venues such as the National Concert Hall of Dublin, Belfast Castle (Ireland), Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. His live radio appearances include NPR, Baltimore's WYPR, Baltimore's 98ROCK, Boston's WGBH, and Cleveland's WCLV. He has recorded with record labels Avie and Sono Luminus and has appeared on more than 10 album releases. He is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, traditional and historical music specialist, poet, painter, and avid proponent of meditation.
His recent projects include “Meditations”, an album of original songs in a modern style with a nostalgic flare, "Play, Music!" a one-man Shakespeare show which combines traditional music and theater (performed live at the Folger Theater in DC), and he was one of three Apollo's Fire musicians chosen to collaborate with the UKs Early Folk Band.
"A sound and approach reminiscent of contemporary banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck."
BachTrack
2019 GRAMMY® WINNER!!!
"A masterful improvisation"
Nuvo
"Much fine fire and passion"
theclassicalreviewer.blogspot.co.uk
"Idiomatic playing that veered into an almost offhand virtuosity from time to time."
Jay Harvey Upstage
"Brian Kay moved effortlessly from classical poise to boisterous rumpus, depending on what constellation of performers was in play. His versatility seems limitless, with no drop in intensity from one style to the next. He is also a rare force: a singer equally strong as a player of plucked instruments. "
-Seen & Heard International
