Brothers Andrew and David Byrne have found great success through their musical talents.
They graduated two years apart from Clarkston High School and both went on to Western Michigan University.
They eventually parted ways for graduate school.
Andrew attended Arizona State University and majored in vocal education. David went to University of Michigan for musical composition.
Andrew said his love for music came from his family.
‘I was raised in a musical family, so I’ve been surrounded by music for as long as I can remember,? he said.
Their grandfather was an amateur musician, an aunt is a classical pianist and music professor at Michigan State University, and another aunt is a former professional opera singer.
David has their grandfather’s piano, which he composes at every day.
Andrew started with the violin but realized piano suited him better.
In high school, he had his first experience working with singers in a vocal coaching environment for Solo and Ensemble.
Their parents are also a great inspiration.
‘My parents have been an amazing inspiration,? David said.
‘Without their support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue my dreams.?
Andrew’s greatest accomplishment so far is staying in music and theater for the past 10 years, supporting himself as an independent artist. Many people in the field are forced to work in other fields to support themselves, he said.
‘I made the decision to move to New York with no job prospects lined up, but with a knowledge that I wanted to be here working with great performing artists,? he said.
Before moving to the Big Apple, Andrew worked with Rob Meffe, assistant conductor for Broadway’s Les Miserables. He played keyboard in the pit orchestra.
Having Broadway experience opened many doors for him. His first month in New York, Andrew met his teacher and mentor, Tony-winner Victoria Clark.
‘She believed in me enough to introduce me to many key players in the Broadway community, and I truly could not have done it without her,? he said.
David’s greatest accomplishments are the musical scores he created for films and TV shows.
His proudest is the score for the film Pittsburg. Directors Chris Bradley and Kyle Labrache gave him a lot of artistic freedom with the music to shape the film, he said.
Andrew is focused on developing his work as a voice teacher for Broadway. He currently has students in productions of Wicked, A Chorus Line, The Little Mermaid, Monty Python’s: Spamalot, Mamma Mia!, Rent and Xanadu, some of which play in Detroit.
Last fall, Andrew got the chance to train Lance Bass during his run as Corny Collins in Hairspray.
This past summer the brothers worked together on Season 2 of ‘America’s Got Talent.? The two did the arrangements and orchestrations for the Glamazons, who finished in the top eight.
David just finished writing the score for Second Skin, a documentary following the lives of seven online gamers.
‘It explores how their relationship with the games influences their real lives,? he said.
David will be heading to Austin, Texas, for its ‘Spotlight Premiere? at the Southwest Film Festival. Andrew’s goal for the future is to become the go-to person for Broadway vocal training.
‘When a movie star decides to take on a Broadway show, I want to be the person who trains them,? he said.
David’s primary goal is to keep working with talented artists writing scores for film and television.