Today we’d like to introduce you to Debra Brown.
Hi Debra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Two Star Symphony’s musical journey began in 2002 with founding members, Margaret LeJeune and Debra Brown. Oscar’s Creamery was offering free ice cream to artists that performed at their open mic.. We wrote a couple of pirate inspired tunes, on cello and violin. Dressed as pirates, we rocked the shop and with great delight accepted our free ice cream.. This is our origin story. We were young and eager to perform. Our first business card stated we perform Weddings, Funerals, and Bat Mitzvahs! Soon after Oscar’s we gathered more musicians, collaborated with incredible artists from many genres, traveled the world for multiple projects and continue to create right here in Houston, Tx.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest challenge for this project is definitely coordination. Balancing the lives and schedules of seven different people to make time for writing, rehearsing, and gigging is a massive puzzle. On top of that, we have the unique challenge of live sound. We are a seven-piece acoustic group—playing everything from strings to drums—so controlling stage feedback is always a balancing act. To make it work, we have dedicated rehearsal time. We’ve also invested heavily in high-quality pickup systems and attempt to work with familiar sound engineers that understand our unique set up.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Two Star Symphony composes and performs all original music. Each musician is a composer in their own right. Mainly consisting of classical instruments we work more like a rock band. Two Star Symphony is, Margaret LeJeune (cello), Debra Brown (violin), Brigette Yawn (viola), Chris Bakos (bass), John Duboise (clarinet) Cathy Power (lots of instruments) and Kirk Suddreath (percussion)., The group thrives the most when collaborating. Seeing our music physically come to life through dancers, puppets, circus performers, and silent film is pure joy. Two Star Symphony has been fortunate to work with many musical groups such as, Amanda Palmer, Daniel Johnston, Twin Shadow, Fat Tony, Say Girl Say, and Ancient Cat Society to name a few. We have performed from street corners to vast performance halls such as the Wortham Theater and every where in between.
Top five magical moments out of many… Creating and performing in the Cistern for Under Ground Sounds, Being approached by the MFAH to created and perform a score to the film “The Cabinet of Dr Calagari. Being asked to perform for the opening of Discovery Green. Collaborating with Dominic Walsh and the ABT studio company in NYC. Performing at Norway’s Bergenfest and talking our way into a sold out Devin The Dude concert.
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Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness is finding “your” people. Our ensemble has been creating together for over 20 years. We are family at this point. To have a group of people dedicated to the same goal, making music is a very special existence. Two Star Symphony loves playing for new audiences. You can find our music on Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube. Follow us on instagram to find upcoming performances!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twostarsymphony.wordpress.com/
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/twostarsymphony
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/TwoStarSymphony
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/twostarsymphony
