Joseph Brenneman comfortably navigates both the classical and jazz worlds. Showing an interest in music at an early age, he tapped out melodies of his favorite cartoons on the family piano. His first mentor, Fred Weymer, was his band director at West Middle School in Lima, Ohio. Continuing at Lima Senior, Linda Fox-Miller encouraged him to pursue music as a major. After earning a Bachelor of Music Performance from Capital University, where Gail Zugger was his teacher, Joseph began performing and recording with Columbus bands. Notably, joining Whirlybirds allowed him to continue playing clarinet professionally.

But that’s not all—Joseph’s passion extends to the dance floor. Inspired by a spontaneous visit to a local swing dance event, he set his sights on playing for dancers. For the past eight years, he has brought the technical prowess of a conservatory-trained musician to bandstands around the country and has had the good fortune to play for dancers from around the world.

Catch Joseph playing his clarinet with the Whirlybirds every Saturday evening at Natalie’s (where he’s been a regular artist for the last ten years) and every first Wednesday at the Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge. Beyond his demanding performance schedule, he shares his expertise through teaching at Musicologie and is a board member of the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society.