Brendan Kavanagh
Brendan Kavanagh | |
|---|---|
 Kavanagh in 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dr K |
| Born | 1967 or 1968 (age 56–57) London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Genre | Music |
| Subscribers | 2,09 million[1] |
| Total views | 1,25 billion[1] |
Last updated: 20 November 2023 | |
Brendan Kavanagh (born 1967 or 1968[2]), also known as "Dr K" due to his PhD in English, is a British pianist and piano teacher of Irish descent. He specializes in playing and promoting the boogie-woogie genre, almost exclusively improvised, often combined with classical, jazz, blues, rock & roll, and traditional Irish music themes. He regularly performs in open venues on public pianos, sometimes in duet formats with musically inclined passers-by or friends. He also plays the piano accordion, with emphasis on traditional Irish tunes.[3][4]
Education
Kavanagh graduated from Middlesex University with first class single honours BA in English. He then obtained his MA in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama at University College Dublin, followed by a PhD in English language and literature from University College Cork.[5]
Online presence and open public venue performances
In 2007, Kavanagh founded Dr. K Media Limited and changed his focus to online teaching, selling, performing and promoting piano music, with a strong emphasis on the boogie-woogie style. With the advent of smartphones which allow virtually anyone to capture and disseminate musical performances, he began performing in open public venues.[2]
He has performed as Dr. K, often wearing his signature dark hoodie and shades, or sometimes wearing a workman's uniform, playing incognito in front of often astonished passers-by on public pianos at train stations, airports and other open public venues, mostly around London. His impromptu performances, often weaving together classical, boogie-woogie, Irish and popular themes, are captured and uploaded to his YouTube channel, where he has amassed over 2.09 million subscribers, making him as of November 2023, the 1,108th most-subscribed channel.[6] He also broadcasts some of his performances directly, via live streaming.[7][4][8]
References
- ^ a b "About BrendanKavanaghDrK". YouTube.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Jonathan (7 May 2017). "'Police officer' musician fools Londoners with dazzling piano skills". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
Brendan Kavanagh, 49, from Wealdstone, donned various guises to appear at train stations and iconic landmarks across London to show off his musical prowess.
- ^ "The two best piano players on YouTube have joined forces, and yes, it is brilliant". Ireland Calling. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Teen's rendition of The Sound of Music's 'Edelweiss' at London Underground station goes viral". Classic FM. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
- ^ "Musician's incredible piano skills make people stop and stare in Cork Airport". Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Brendan Kavanagh's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". socialblade.com. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Two Irishmen meet by chance and play most amazing piano duet you've ever heard". Ireland Calling. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "A 'workman' wowed commuters with his piano skills at St Pancras station". Time Out London. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
External links
- BBC Radio London Dr K interview, "The Jo Good Show", 9 August 2019 on Facebook