ARI
BRAND

Ari Brand was born and raised in downtown Manhattan in the 1980's, the son of a professional concert pianist and an NYC school music teacher. In his childhood home, and while attending the arts-focused Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights, making music was a daily practice, and communicating with others through music was Ari's favorite way to spend his time.

In high school and at summer camp, Ari could be found playing piano in classical chamber groups, improvising on piano and bass guitar in jazz ensembles, creating and performing in rock and hip hop bands, starring in and sometimes writing musical theater productions and, with his acoustic guitar, leading hundreds of children and adults alike in rousing renditions of their favorite songs. 

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As an undergrad at Wesleyan University, Ari double-majored in Theater and Psychology, and continued performing musically while acting in department and student theater productions, as well as some student thesis films. He spent a semester at the British American Drama Academy in London, a theater conservatory program run by some of London's premiere theater artists and educators. 

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In his twenties Ari became a professional actor, performing in New York City and in theaters across the country under the direction of leading theater artists such as James Lapine, Michael Greif, Mary Zimmerman, David Cromer and Kathleen Marshall. His off-Broadway turn as the title character in "My Name Is Asher Lev" received significant praise, and the play won the Outer Critics Circle Award for outstanding new play.

While establishing a career in theater, Ari has continued playing, teaching and writing music, and his favorite avenue for this has become the SINGALONG. After a few quick months dabbling in leading children's singalongs, Ari founded the Friday Morning Singalong at The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He's never looked back.

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