NEWS
Brett Mitchell Releases New Solo Piano Arrangement from John Williams’s ‘Disclosure Day’
Brett Mitchell has released a solo piano arrangement of ‘listen…’ from John Williams’s score for the new science fiction film Disclosure Day, his 30th feature collaboration with director Steven Spielberg.
Published on the same day as the release of both the film and its soundtrack album, the performance is an original transcription of the first cue unveiled from Williams’s highly anticipated score. The arrangement continues Mitchell’s longstanding exploration of Williams’s music through more than 150 original solo piano transcriptions, which have attracted a dedicated international audience of film music enthusiasts.
The complete performance may be viewed here.
Brett Mitchell to Present Solo Piano Recital: ‘The Art of Film Music’
Brett Mitchell will present a solo piano recital, ‘The Art of Film Music,’ in May 2027 in Denver on the Second Tuesdays concert series.
DENVER — Second Tuesdays has announced that Brett Mitchell will perform a solo piano recital to close their 2026-27 season.
On Tuesday, May 11, 2027, Mitchell will present ‘The Art of Film Music,’ a collection of his original arrangements of iconic cues from film score history.
From the organization:
Recently named a Steinway Artist and highly regarded as a conductor, the versatile Brett Mitchell presents an engaging program, ‘The Art of Film Music.’ You won’t want to miss this end of season musical celebration!
Mitchell first performed on the Second Tuesday series in May 2025 in a recital with his wife, soprano Angela Mitchell, entitled ‘Spring Awakenings.’ This will be his second appearance on the series.
To learn more, please click here.
Preview: Sunriver conductor Brett Mitchell to play in ‘Maestro at the Piano’ Saturday
Brett Mitchell will present a solo piano recital in Sunriver, Ore. on Saturday, April 11, featuring his original arrangements of iconic works from film score history. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
BEND, Ore. — The Bulletin (Bend) has published a preview of Brett Mitchell’s upcoming solo piano recital in Sunriver on Saturday, April 11.
Sunriver conductor Brett Mitchell to play in ‘Maestro at the Piano’ Saturday
Mitchell flexes his other chops, arranging tunes from Star Wars, Jurassic Park and other popular films for piano
On Saturday, Central Oregonians will have another chance to see and hear Sunriver Music Festival Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Mitchell — this time around, however, he won’t be on a podium, but rather seated at a piano in his exclusive “The Maestro at the Piano: Music in Film” recital.
For Mitchell, it’s a familiar space in which to ply two major, if lesser known, aspects of his musicality.
“I’ve always been a pianist. I’ve always played the piano,” he said last week by phone from his home in Denver, where he is former conductor of the Colorado Symphony. Today, Mitchell conducts the Pasadena Symphony, as well as Central Oregon’s summertime concert series each August.
But before his career helming orchestras, Mitchell’s piano abilities and ambitions almost took him down a different career path: composition.
“By the time I got into college, I thought I wanted to be a film composer,” Mitchell said. “And the bigger the pieces I started writing, the more likely they were to need a conductor. So I ended up just kind of conducting my own pieces, and then that led to conducting other people’s pieces. But that piano part of things for me has always been really at the forefront for me, even though it hasn’t been at the forefront of how I perform most of the time publicly. I mean, certainly the world knows me as a conductor.”
Musical chairs
Six years ago, courtesy of a pandemic, that work came to an abrupt halt — or a caesura, if you want to put it in classical conducting terms.
“The whole reason that I became a conductor is because I love working with other people. I love working with other musicians,” he said. “And obviously when the pandemic happened, that went away, in large part for a year, year and a half, two years, depending on how you look at it. And I was sitting there here in our house, probably two months into this thing when it became clear that it wasn’t going to be like a two-month deal, but that we were going to all be here for a while.”
This allowed Mitchell to both play the piano and get creative by “flexing (his) arranging chops, arranging chops, taking iconic scores from film music history and arranging them for solo piano,” as he put it in a press release from Sunriver Music Festival.
As is surely true of many a great feat, this one came about after complaining to his spouse.
“I was basically just complaining to my wife saying, ‘I have I have no way to perform right now, because the performing that I do requires other large groups of musicians to all be in the same place together and that’s not able to happen,'” he recalled. “And she said, ‘We’ve got the Steinway. Why don’t you why don’t you go go make music on the Steinway?’ And while that’s a very different experience, what I really found was so fulfilling to me. I had basically left the piano alone in terms of public performance for the better part of 20 years.”
That’s not altogether true; he had performed a recital or two in that time, as well as occasional chamber performances with orchestra members. Otherwise, he’d spent little time playing piano in public for those two decades.
On his home Steinway, “What I was able to do was kind of take all of the parts of me that make me who I am musically, which is primarily an orchestral conductor. I have also conducted an awful lot of films live to picture. That’s something that has gone on now for the better part of 10 or 15 years and I have been a part of that kind of new endeavor. And I have a composition degree, which means I am fully capable of taking an enormous orchestral score and trying to look at it through the lens of the composer and rearrange that music for solo piano.”
Popular YouTube channel
Mitchell performs his arrangements of movie tunes his YouTube channel, which has over 4,500 subscribers. There, you can watch Mitchell perform highly recognizable music from “Gone with the Wind” to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
By his own assessment, these are “no frills,” three-angle videos — a wide shot, Mitchell’s face and his hands on the keys — the popularity of which “is a surprise to no one more than me,” he said.
“I was really making these projects, these videos because it was something I was interested in doing. It was something that I felt passionately about. It was music that I loved and cared deeply about,” he said. “And as it turns out, a lot of people felt the same way. And I’m, I’m really grateful for that.”
Saturday in Sunriver, the live audience will have an opportunity his YouTube fans do not: To hear Mitchell performing them live. Mitchell’s sorted the nearly 400 videos he’s created over the last several years according to which have the most views in creating Saturday’s program.
“So basically, the top 10 or whatever on my channel are showing up on this recital program,” he said. He’ll also perform his arrangements of Bernard Herrmann’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” as well as “Adoration of the Magi ” and “Start of Bethlehem” from “Ben-Hur.”
And much like Mitchell’s YouTube channel followers, fans of composer John Williams — the famed and prolific scorer of some of the biggest films of the past 50 years, from “Star Wars” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” to “Schindler’s List” — will not be disappointed.
“There are things (that) would divide my channel in terms of the film score part of it into two sections,” Mitchell said. “The first is John Williams. The second is everybody else.” Of the 398 videos on his channel now, 157 of them are John Williams tunes.
“John Williams is certainly my great hero,” Mitchell said. “I would not be here if it were not for John Williams.”
2026 Sunriver Music Festival
Though the recital certainly works as a standalone event, Mitchell said, it also serves as a lead-in to August’s Sunriver Music Festival, which will pay tribute to country’s 250th birthday.
“All of that’s to really lead into the summer festival,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got classical concerts as always during the summer festival. Each one of those will have a piece by a contemporary American composer on it.” The recital is a particularly strong antecedent to the annual Pops Concert, which will be “John Williams and the American Journey” and the annual Family Concert, “Harry Potter and the Instruments of the Orchestra, which will be an all-John Williams program.
Said Mitchell, “I’m really excited to kick off that America 250 celebration with these film score excerpts, because the art of film scoring was born during the American century,” aka the 20th century. “I’m going to talk a lot throughout the program and share behind the scenes stories with the audience, some anecdotes that perhaps they know, but more likely they don’t that will help them listen with new ears.”
Preview: Sunriver Music Festival — The Maestro at the Piano
BEND, Ore. — The Source has published a preview of Brett Mitchell’s upcoming solo piano recital, presented by the Sunriver Music Festival:
Hailed for the breadth of his work on the podium and at the piano, Maestro Brett Mitchell has carved a unique path in the world of contemporary American classical music. Sunriver Music Festival’s Artistic Director & Conductor will present an exclusive solo piano recital featuring his own arrangements for film in Sunriver on April 11. Visit sunrivermusic.org for tickets to The Maestro at the Piano.
As a conductor, Mitchell currently serves as Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony and Artistic Director & Conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival. He previously served as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of both the Houston Symphony and Orchestre National de France. Working widely as a guest conductor, Mitchell has led the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and principal orchestras spanning the United States and beyond.
As a pianist, Steinway Artist Brett Mitchell has a devoted fanbase of his work at the keyboard. The high standard he has set with artistic and professional achievements makes it most appropriate that Mitchell is formally included on the Steinway Artist roster—a list of the most accomplished and discriminating artists in the world. His exceptionally active YouTube channel @brettmitchellconductor features his original solo piano videos of iconic cues from film history and landmark works from classical, jazz, and pop canons.
“Film music has always been one of my great musical loves. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and we couldn’t present orchestral music, I flexed my arranging chops, taking iconic scores from film music history and arranging them for solo piano. What began as a pandemic diversion has morphed into a continuing passion project that I’m now thrilled to share with more than 15,000 subscribers across my social platforms, and I couldn’t be more pleased as we gear up for Sunriver Music Festival’s “America @ 250” celebrations in August 2026 to share many of these iconic selections with our audience in Central Oregon. The art of film scoring was born during the American century, and I can’t imagine a better way to kick off our celebrations than with an intimate evening featuring some of my favorite music of all time. Please join me on April 11 in Sunriver.” - Artistic Director & Conductor Brett Mitchell
Mark your calendars for April 11 and visit sunrivermusic.org for tickets to Sunriver Music Festival’s exclusive concert The Maestro at the Piano. VIP ticketed guests are welcomed to an intimate post-concert reception offering wine, light fare and unhurried conversation with the maestro in an informal setting.
Click here to read the complete preview, and here to read the official press release from the Sunriver Music Festival.
Brett Mitchell Named a Steinway Artist
Brett Mitchell sits at one of The Cleveland Orchestra’s Steinway & Sons’ Model D concert grand pianos. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
NEW YORK — Brett Mitchell has been named the newest Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons.
In recognition of your distinguished career in music and outstanding commitment and loyalty to the Steinway piano, Steinway & Sons is pleased to welcome you, Brett Mitchell.
The high standard that you have set with your artistic and professional achievements makes it most appropriate that you are now formally included on the Steinway Artist roster, a list of the most accomplished and discriminating artists in the world.
Steinway & Sons congratulates you on receiving this distinction.
Please click here to visit Mr. Mitchell’s artist profile on the Steinway & Sons website.
Feature: ‘Brett Mitchell Pays Tribute to Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek with Emotional Piano Performance’
‘Brett Mitchell Pays Tribute to Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek with Emotional Piano Performance’
Italian Star Trek news magazine ExtraTrek has published an extensive feature about Brett Mitchell’s film music covers on his YouTube channel. The following excerpts are translated from the original Italian:
* * * * *
BRETT MITCHELL PAYS TRIBUTE TO LEONARD NIMOY AND STAR TREK WITH EMOTIONAL PIANO PERFORMANCE
Brett Mitchell's YouTube channel features piano-based reinterpretations of famous film scores, celebrating iconic characters and creating an immersive musical experience
Brett Mitchell, a renowned conductor and pianist, has developed a special relationship with film and television music over the years, combining his interpretative sensitivity with his passion for soundtracks. On his YouTube channel, active since 2006, Mitchell offers original arrangements ranging from orchestral classics to the most iconic soundtracks in pop culture.
One of his most touching tributes is the video Horner: Spock (Brett Mitchell, piano), in which he performs on the piano an arrangement of James Horner ’s Spock theme, taken from the soundtrack of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This song, full of emotion and depth, is a perfect tribute to the figure of Leonard Nimoy and his iconic character, remembered for his wisdom, his stoicism and his famous motto: Live long and prosper. A few days ago Mitchell offered this piece on the day in which the actor, interpreter of the most famous Vulcan of the franchise, would have turned 94.
A tribute full of meaning
Mitchell's performance is notable for the delicacy with which he manages to render the emotional nuances of Horner's piece. The arrangement, entirely for piano, captures the melancholy and grandeur of Spock, evoking the most touching scenes of the film. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a fundamental chapter of the saga, made immortal by the dramatic scene of Spock 's death, accompanied by Horner's music.
This tribute goes beyond a simple musical performance: it is a gesture of love towards a character who has marked generations of fans and who continues to be one of the most beloved figures of the Star Trek franchise.
Music and Cinema: The Perfect Combination on Brett Mitchell's Channel
Mitchell's work doesn't stop with Spock . His channel is a veritable archive of great soundtracks reinterpreted with sensitivity and mastery. Staying on the subject of Star Trek, we can't help but mention another example of his talent: the piano arrangement of A Good Start, a piece composed by Jerry Goldsmith for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This piece, which accompanies the iconic final sequence of the film, is a hymn to the wonder of space exploration and the sense of adventure that has always characterized the saga.
The artist doesn't just play music: in his videos he often synchronizes the music with the original scenes, offering an immersive experience that fuses the power of the soundtrack with the visual narrative.
In addition to the two videos mentioned, Mitchell's channel features other highly valuable performances, such as:
• Angelo Badalamenti: Twin Peaks Theme (Piano Cover) (Brett Mitchell, piano), a touching reinterpretation of the famous theme from the Twin Peaks series, characterized by dreamlike and melancholic atmospheres.
• John Williams: AI Artificial Intelligence (Brett Mitchell, piano), an intense and emotionally charged performance of Williams’s score for Steven Spielberg’s film, which perfectly captures the film’s sense of wonder and melancholy.
A journey through music and memory
Visit his YouTube channel and subscribe to not miss all his new reinterpretations and to enjoy many other songs already published. For those who love cinema, soundtracks and classical music, his YouTube channel is a must-see, where every note tells a timeless story.
Video: Cleveland Orchestra musicians join Brett Mitchell for 80th-anniversary recording of Copland's 'Quiet City'
Robert Walters (English horn), Brett Mitchell (piano), and Michael Sachs (trumpet) perform Aaron Copland’s ‘Quiet City.’
DENVER — Cleveland Orchestra principal trumpet Michael Sachs and solo English horn Robert Walters join Brett Mitchell for a long-distance performance of Aaron Copland's Quiet City, recorded to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the piece's premiere on January 28, 1941.
Mr. Mitchell worked with Mr. Sachs and Mr. Walters from 2013 to 2017 while serving on the conducting staff of The Cleveland Orchestra, where Mr. Sachs has been principal trumpet since 1988 and Mr. Walters has been solo English horn since 2004.
Mr. Mitchell recorded his portion of this video in Denver, Colorado, on January 8. Mr. Walters and Mr. Sachs recorded their portions in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 15 and 19, respectively.
Enjoy the complete performance below, or watch on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Preview: Brett Mitchell leads Cleveland Orchestra Christmas from the podium and the keyboard
Published November 6, 2020 Updated November 18, 2020
UPDATE: Due the continued rise of positive cases of COVID-19 in Northeast Ohio, The Cleveland Orchestra has canceled these performances. Learn more.
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that Brett Mitchell will return to lead their 2020 Christmas Concerts, marking the orchestra’s first live performances in Severance Hall since March.
Mr. Mitchell will lead the string and percussion sections of the orchestra in such holiday favorites as Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on “Greensleeves,” selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and a world-premiere arrangement by Matthew Jackfert of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Mr. Mitchell will also lead a jazz trio from the piano to accompany Broadway star Capathia Jenkins in several selections throughout the program, including “Let It Snow,” “Grown-Up Christmas List,” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”
Mr. Mitchell will lead a jazz trio from the piano to accompany Broadway star Capathia Jenkins in several selections throughout The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2020 Christmas Concerts. (Photo by Jeff Nelson)
More details from Cleveland.com:
Many performances are already sold-out to subscribers who held tickets before the COVID-19 pandemic. Several shows, however, still have limited seating for the general public, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Below are the performances with available tickets. All seven take place at 7:30 p.m. at Severance Hall.
Thursday and Friday, Dec. 10 and 11
Sunday, Dec. 13
Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 16 and 17
Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 22 and 23
Guests will be seated with members of their own household, and groups will be separated by empty chairs. All guests will be required to wear masks and submit to a temperature check and health questionnaire at the doors.
Just as the audience will be reduced, so will the forces on stage be smaller than usual. Former associate conductor Brett Mitchell will return to conduct a strings-and-percussion orchestra, with guest vocalist Capathia Jenkins. There will be no Cleveland Orchestra Chorus or other singers.
The program also will be somewhat tighter. Expect a visit from you-know-who but don’t wait for an intermission or an audience sing-along.
For more information and ticket availability, please visit the event page on The Cleveland Orchestra’s website.
"Star Wars: The Score Awakens" wins Best Documentary
CLEVELAND — Star Wars: The Score Awakens, an hourlong special in which Brett Mitchell explores the music of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has earned Best Documentary at the 2017 All Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards.
In this special, which originally aired on WCLV Classical 104.9 in January 2016, Mr. Mitchell joins host Bill O'Connell in the KeyBank Studio for a thorough exploration of John Williams's first new Star Wars score in a decade via original soundtrack recordings and demonstrations at the piano.
To listen to Star Wars: The Score Awakens, please click here.
Audio: "Star Wars: The Score Awakens"
CLEVELAND — Brett Mitchell discusses John Williams's Oscar-nominated score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with host Bill O'Connell in a new, hourlong special, “Star Wars: The Score Awakens,” set premiere on WCLV Classical 104.9 on Saturday, January 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern.
A synopsis from WCLV:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already the biggest movie of all time in the United States. The soundtrack is an original score by John Williams, who has written the music for all seven Star Wars movies, plus other classics like Indiana Jones, E.T., Home Alone, and many, many more. Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, is a die-hard fan of John Williams and Star Wars, so WCLV invited him to the KeyBank Studio to take us through the score.
Listen at Ideastream or via the player below.
Update: ‘Star Wars: The Score Awakens’ won Best Documentary at the 2017 All Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards.
Like this special? Check out my two episodes of Classical Classroom exploring the music of Star Wars and The Force Awakens!
Audio: "Awakening John Williams's 'Force' with Brett Mitchell"
Photo by Gregg Barckholtz, edited by Dacia Clay
Brett Mitchell discusses John Williams's Oscar-nominated score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with host Dacia Clay on the most recent episode of Houston Public Media's Classical Classroom. A synopsis from HPM:
This episode is full of spoilers – not just spoilers about The Force Awakens, but about future Star Wars episodes. Okay – they could be future spoilers. Right now, they’re just our attempts at trying to find the Easter eggs hidden in John Williams’s new score. This may be the nerdiest and most epic episode ofClassical Classroom to date. Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, is your guide through the music of the latest Star Wars episode. He teaches about John Williams as a composer and about important tools of the compositional trade, and reveals how this new music is tied to Williams’s scores for the original films. Mitchell takes no prisoners, and does not care for Ewoks. Prepare for hyperdrive.
To listen to "Awakening John Williams's 'Force' with Brett Mitchell," please click here, or listen below.
Like this episode? Check out my first episode of Classical Classroom: Episode 4: Leitmotif in Star Wars!
Brett Mitchell to play duo recital with Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Stephen Shipps
Brett Mitchell will play a duo recital with violinist Stephen Shipps, his concertmaster at the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. The performance will take place at the Saginaw Club at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, and will feature works of Provost, Korngold, Suk, and Williams. For more information, please click the "SCHEDULE" page above.
Audio: Brett Mitchell explores ‘Leitmotif in Star Wars’ on ‘Classical Classroom’
Photo by Gregg Barckholtz, edited by Dacia Clay
Brett Mitchell joins host Dacia Clay for the fourth episode of Houston Public Media's newest program, Classical Classroom. In this episode, Mitchell discusses John Williams's score for Star Wars, illustrating various leitmotifs at the piano, then putting them in context by playing examples from the original soundtrack recording. To listen to this episode, please click here.
Like this episode? Check out my next episode of Classical Classroom exploring music of The Force Awakens: Episode 115: Awakening John Williams’ “Force” with Brett Mitchell!