KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 11, 2025

A Composer’s Path Shaped by Passion, Performance and Purpose

The Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestras (GYSO) has commissioned Kennesaw State University (KSU) alumnus Brandon Gasaway to compose a new orchestral work in celebration of GYSO’s 20th anniversary season. The world premiere will take place Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in Morgan Concert Hall.

Gasaway’s connection to GYSO began before he enrolled at KSU, when he completed a high school capstone project on conducting with the GYSO Symphony under the mentorship of Dr. Nathaniel Parker, GYSO artistic and executive director and director of orchestral studies at KSU.

“Brandon’s music is polished, professional, structurally sound and artistically powerful,” Parker said. “He has demonstrated the ability to compose meaningful works for a wide range of orchestras: string orchestras and symphony orchestras, as well as advanced orchestras and younger, educational ensembles. To excel in any of those individual areas is significant; Brandon’s ability to write effectively for a range of ensembles is indicative of his unique gift.”

A 2024 graduate of Kennesaw State University, Gasaway earned a bachelor’s degree in music with a concentration in composition. During his time at KSU, he developed a strong compositional voice through mentorship, performance opportunities and academic recognition.

Among his most impactful experiences was his work with the University Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was described by director Dr. Nancy Conley as the ensemble’s unofficial “composer in residence.”

“The ensemble premiered four of Gasaway’s works: ‘A Fighting Spirit,’ ‘Stargazing,’ ‘The American Frontier’ and ‘Until We Meet Again,’” Conley said. “Having the opportunity to work directly with the composer has been a great experience for the musicians in the ensemble as well as for the composer himself.”

His farewell piece, “Until We Meet Again,” was a tribute to the Philharmonic and to Conley. His final work with the group, “Chaotic Concoction,” premiered in April 2025.

Gasaway’s “Fairy Tale Overture,” a piece he began composing shortly after high school, won the KSU 2020–21 Composition Competition. Due to COVID-19 delays, it premiered in March 2022 with the KSU Symphony Orchestra. He later won the Bailey School of Music Composition Competition in 2022 and was named the 2024 Presser Scholar, one of the highest honors for undergraduate music students.

Now based in Colorado Springs, Gasaway serves as music librarian for the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, where he continues to compose and conduct. His recent work, “The Wayfinder,” was premiered by the Jenkins Middle School seventh-grade orchestra.