Regan Brough
From College of Fine Arts and Communications
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Early Life
After having spent four years studying the piano, Regan Brough began playing electric bass at age 11 as part of his family steel band, Pan Jam. His father, Ronald P. Brough, BYU percussion professor, had a profound influence on his musical development by exposing him and expecting him to be able to play a wide variety of world and ethnic music in his early years. Throughout his teenage years Brough received various outstanding soloist awards.
Education
In 2005, Regan Brough was awarded an Oscarson Discovery Grant which enabled him to compete at the International Society of Bassists, held in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Brough won second place at the competition and was asked to perform for an audience of nearly 1,000 bass players. In a letter expressing his gratitude to the Oscarson’s, he said,
I am very pleased to report the R. Don and Shirley Oscarson Discovery Grant proved to be extremely helpful in surpassing even [my wildest dreams]…Not only did the funds make it possible for [me] to attend the convention at a severely reduced rate, but from a professional and exposure standpoint there could have been nothing better.
[I] participated in the International Society of Bassists solo competition in the jazz division. An undisclosed number of applications submitted entries for the final round… Of those entries, eleven competitors were selected, given a 30-minute rehearsal with the house pianist and drummer, and a 20-minute performance…When all was said and done, I was awarded second place in the competition. I was recognized at the convention’s opening night…
Not only was I able to perform with and for many of my heroes, I further bolstered the probability of obtaining scholarships for graduate school, for which I will be applying this coming year…A better opportunity for networking and exposure couldn’t exist for an aspiring bass player.
The following semester, Brough was awarded another Oscarson Discovery Grant which enabled him to travel to Poland and study under bass master, Jacek Niedziela.
Brough graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Music Performance.
Career
An active composer and arranger, Brough was awarded with the Outstanding Instrumental Composition from the 2006 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival for his original composition “I Don’t Know Why” and continues to compose and arrange in a variety of genres.
He currently is a bass player for the U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble.
