About Firebird
The Firebird Pops Orchestra is a non-profit regional ensemble made up of musicians from across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Our mission is to bring high-caliber, multimedia orchestral performances to local audiences—featuring the music of film, television, video games, Broadway, and more—while maintaining an inclusive and community-driven spirit.
The orchestra presents a dynamic season of performances from June through December each year, with concerts in Wakefield, Massachusetts and at partner venues such as The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, the Museum of Science in Boston, and Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester through our FPO@Hammond series.
About the Music Director
Learn more about Firebird’s Founder and Conductor, Brendan J. Kenney, renowned for his dynamic leadership and innovative performances that have captivated audiences across Greater Boston and beyond.
Our Leadership
Read about our Board of Directors and the background each brings to the organization of the orchestra. If you’re interested in serving on the board, be sure to contact us!
Our Leadership
Read about our Board of Directors and the background each brings to the organization of the orchestra. If you’re interested in serving on the board, be sure to contact us!
Contact Us
If you are an audience member with a comment, press/media looking to get in touch, an agent looking for more information on booking, a school district looking for virtual guidance, or anyone else, we’d love to hear from you!
About the Music Director
Brendan J. Kenney, Founder/Music DirectorBrendan J. Kenney is the founder and conductor of the Firebird Pops Orchestra, established virtually in 2020. Under his dynamic leadership, the ensemble has performed numerous innovative concerts across Greater Boston and the North Shore, quickly cementing its reputation as a leading arts organization in the region. Brendan is especially known for his engaging and charismatic stage presence, creating a concert experience where audiences feel intimately involved in the performance.
Brendan’s conducting journey evolved from his extensive experience as a theatre music director, a role he has excelled in for nearly 20 years. During this time, he has conducted over 100 productions in educational, amateur, and professional theatres, collaborating with many of the region’s finest musicians.
The Firebird Pops Orchestra was born during the pandemic, offering musicians a chance to help the arts “rise from the ashes” of the lockdown period. Brendan recognized a void in virtual performance opportunities and simultaneously saw a chance to fulfill his decade-long desire to fill the gap in accessible ensembles dedicated to performing pops repertoire. The Firebird Pops’ online performances quickly captivated audiences around the world, garnering both local and national media attention.
Since its inception and pivot to live programming, Brendan has led Firebird in sold-out performances across Massachusetts at iconic venues such as the Museum of Science in Boston, Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, and Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester where the orchestra maintains a popular concert series each season, including the beloved holiday program “Christmas at the Castle.”
In addition to his work with Firebird, Brendan is a respected clinician and adjudicator, offering workshops and evaluating music competitions for music students throughout the state. As a performer, he has appeared in backup choirs for renowned artists like Sarah Brightman on her Hymn and A Christmas Symphony tours, and Josh Groban on his Bridges tour. Brendan also frequently collaborates with Broadway in Worcester’s Education Division, accompanying masterclasses with prominent Broadway performers such as Laura Benanti, Kelli O’Hara, Jessie Mueller, and Santino Fontana.
Our Leadership
Brendan J. Kenney, President/Executive Director
Brendan could not be more excited to be launching this brand new, cutting-edge orchestra for musicians to perform both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with the board of directors, he is looking forward to bring the ensemble to new heights with even more innovative performances!
Tom Cox, Treasurer
Tom is thrilled to be a part of Firebird, and can’t wait to see what amazing things we’re able to do with this new and innovative organization.
In addition to his involvement with Firebird, Tom is a music educator and freelance musician based out of Salem, MA. As a featured soloist with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tom’s performances have been viewed by TV audiences around the world on the BBC. Locally, Tom has played flute and piccolo with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, and can often be seen – or at least heard – playing multiple woodwinds in pit orchestras throughout New England.
Jeri Sykes, Secretary
Jeri Sykes has played woodwinds in pit orchestras for hundreds of theatrical productions, and written arrangements and original music for theatre, revues, and cabaret shows. Jeri has worked as a performer/arranger with the California bands Lawsuit, Agony Aunts, and Preoccupied Pipers. She also performs as a jazz saxophonist and classical clarinetist. She is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, teaching jazz arranging, musical theatre orchestration, and technical theatre production. She is one of the founding faculty of the Berklee Theater Arts Collaborative.