An Interview with Music Composer Brandon Maahs

Brandon Maahs is a multitalented music composer. His work has been heard internationally on many well-known projects. His “dreamcatcher” for multi-percussion solo is becoming a go-to for college musicians around the world, and his soundtrack for the YouTube series RealLifeLore has garnered millions of listens.

Brandon’s impressive premieres and performances include the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Nautilus Brass, the Alkyona Quartet, the University of North Texas, the University of Southern Alabama, and the Royal College of Music.

As a composer for media he has written for a spectrum of the latest platforms; from television to streaming services, and the iOS market to Steam. His score for the OneVision Games title ESSENCE has received a positive critical review and was performed in 2018 at the V&A Museum in London as part of its Design/Play/Disrupt exhibit.

Attempting to merge complexities of the minimal and Avant-Garde with neo-romantic trends in film music and modern literature, Maahs’ music was reviewed as “having a number of compelling features, including thoughtful string orchestration… and the most thunderous ending of the evening” by NewMusicBox in 2012.

I have interviewed the writer and star of the upcoming stage to film production, The Confession of John Wilkes Booth, and Brandon is the music composer for the production. I wanted to learn more about his career.

Can you share your music background?

I was always very interested in the arts; writing, film, photography, etc. Funny enough, I got started in music by joining the school band to talk to cute girls. I picked up the guitar for the same reason, and by high school, I was completely infatuated with making music. I was playing in a rock band, DJing parties, and composing music for orchestra (the Austin Symphony performed one of my pieces when I was 17!) I studied composition in college and have continued to make music on my own terms, collaborating on projects that uniquely interest me.

What are some of your past projects?

2021 was one of my busiest years. I co-scored the latest feature film from documentarian Marlin Darrah, Amazon Queen, with esteemed composer Marcello De…