Bryan Carter • 2025 Grand Marshal
Bryan Carter (2008 SHS Graduate) is a Grammy and Tony Award winning drummer,
vocalist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, and band leader. Since completing his
training at The Juilliard School, Carter has played with legendary artists, including
McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Kenny Barron, Michael Feinstein, and
Kurt Elling.
Bryan served as the drummer for NBC’s Maya & Marty, the classic television program
Sesame Street, and has frequently appeared as a guest with The 8G Band for NBC’s
Late Night With Seth Meyers. Additionally, Bryan has written for several major awards
shows, including the 76th Annual Tony Awards and the 78th British Academy Film
Awards (BAFTA).
Bryan served as co-orchestrator for Broadway’s Some Like It Hot— for which he and his
co-orchestrator Charlie Rosen made history as the first orchestrators to sweep all three
major awards in a single season: Tony Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the
Drama Desk Awards, all for Outstanding Orchestrations. Rosen and Carter continued
their streak of success at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards, winning Best Musical
Theater Album as producers on the recording.
Carter returned to Broadway in 2025 with the highly anticipated stage adaptation of the
six-time Academy Award nominee Good Night and Good Luck, written by and starring
Academy Award winner George Clooney. Carter served as composer, arranger,
orchestrator, music director, and co-music supervisor on the project. The five-time Tony
nominated production made history as the first Broadway show to be broadcast live,
reaching millions of viewers on CNN and HBO Max.
In addition to working in the worlds of film, television and Broadway, Bryan founded
Jazz at Pride, a non-profit organization dedicated to curating performances and
educational engagements that feature world-class artists from the LGBTQIA+
community. As one of its feature presentations, Carter penned his newest work Rustin
in Renaissance, a seven-movement oratorio on civil-rights leader Bayard Rustin for jazz
orchestra. The work received its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center in October
2024.
Bryan’s new album, I Believe, is available via Bandstand Presents and La Reserve
Records. Bryan is represented by Bandstand Artists.
