Guitarist and composer Brian Head chairs the classical guitar program at the USC Thornton School of Music where is also an Assistant Dean. Born in Washington D.C., Brian received degrees in music and mathematics at the University of Maryland and a Master of Music degree in classical guitar and composition at USC where he was voted Outstanding Thornton School Graduate in 1991. Subsequently he was chosen as a 1999 USC Gamma Sigma Alpha Professor of the Year and recently was given the 2010 Simon Ramo Faculty Award, the Thornton School’s highest faculty honor. He is a frequent adjudicator and masterclass teacher across the U.S. having given clinics recently at the National ASTA Convention, Oberlin Conservatory, Edinboro University, Pomona College and the University of Veracruz, Mexico.

He performs with numerous chamber and symphonic groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Jacaranda, and the DaPonte String Quartet, and has appeared as soloist on the stages of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Disney Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. His recordings include The Falcon’s Eye - the solo guitar music of Donald Crockett on Doberman-Yppan Records, as well as performances of William Kraft’s solo Incantation on Kraft’s recent Albany Records offering, another with renowned clarinetist, Michele Zukofsky, on her Simon Bellison tribute recording, and the debut recording of Stephen Hartke’s Sons of Noah with Xtet on New World Records. He is currently involved in several other projects including Head to Head, a collection of music for trumpet and guitar performed with his father, virtuoso trumpeter, Emerson Head, a recording of concertos written by Crockett, Head, Bogdanovic and others for Doberman-Yppan, and a CD devoted to the microtonal guitar music of Jeffrey Holmes.

His own compositions are published by Guitar Solo Publications and Alfred Music, have been recorded on many labels including Delos, Denon, and GSP Recordings, and have been performed throughout the U.S. in venues including Merkin Hall in New York, the Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles and the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, and on six continents throughout the world. One of his recent pieces, an homage to John McLaughlin called We Know You Know, was included in the Grammy Award-winning Guitar Heroes album by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.

Brian previously directed the classical guitar program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and since 2004 he has been President and now Artistic Director of the Guitar Foundation of America.