Dr. Brett Penshorn serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, Los Angeles, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and instrumental music education. A passionate advocate for music as a space for connection, personal growth, and authentic expression, he brings to the podium and classroom a collaborative spirit, deep scholarly insight, and a commitment to inclusive, student-centered artistry.
In December 2023, Dr. Penshorn was one of only eight Americans selected to compete in the Warsaw Wind Band Conducting Competition in Warsaw, Poland. He recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting at the University of North Texas, studying with Professor Eugene Migliaro Corporon. His dissertation, Dueling Dichotomy: Grazioso versus Grit in Vincent Persichetti’s “Parable IX for Band, Op, 121,” explored the expressive polarity embedded in Persichetti’s music and argues that the wind band was the ideal medium for the composer to explore this duality. His research emphasizes the use of motivic economy, harmonic ambiguity, and the conductor’s role in interpreting structural and expressive tension.
Prior to joining the faculty at Cal State LA, Dr. Penshorn held visiting faculty appointments at the University of New Mexico and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he conducted wind ensembles and taught courses in conducting, secondary music education, and music appreciation. At the University of New Mexico, he also served as Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, working with the Spirit Marching Band and Soundpack Basketball Band. In addition, he served as Conductor of the Albuquerque Concert Band and the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble, developing community-based programs that celebrate access and lifelong engagement with music.
Dr. Penshorn has taught music at every level—from beginning band to high school, university, and adult community-based ensembles. He previously served as Assistant Conductor of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra in Richardson, Texas and has appeared as a guest conductor with the Heart of Texas Concert Band in his home city of San Antonio. He is featured as conductor on Mountain Ascent (Summit Records), a recording by the Carolina Trombone Project showcasing a collection of newly-commissioned works for trombone ensemble. This breadth of experience has shaped his inclusive, lifelong approach to accessible music education and advocacy.
Originally from Texas, Dr. Penshorn holds degrees from the University of North Texas (B.M.Ed., D.M.A.) and The Pennsylvania State University (M.M.). As an educator, conductor, and scholar, he is guided by the belief that music builds community, promotes thoughtful inquiry, and affirms identity. His current research focuses on conducting pedagogy that reinforces body positivity and physical awareness, supportive resources for beginning conductors in developing score study methods and aural skills/audiation, and advances practical strategies for student engagement and ownership in the large ensemble setting—all framed through empathy, inclusivity, and authentic artistic expression.