Brandon Wallace: Artistry Spanning America, the Middle East, and the Balkans

Brandon Wallace is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, educator, and instrument maker. His work spans American folk, Luiseño, Middle Eastern, and Balkan traditions. As a performer, cultural advocate, and craftsman, he approaches music with both breadth and depth, rooted in deep respect for the traditions he represents.

Born and raised in San Diego, Brandon began his musical journey on piano and violin, later adding mandolin, ukulele, 5-string banjo, guitar, Native American flute, and harmonica. He has performed with international artists such as Nattali Rize, Souren Baronian, Yair Dalal, Mac Lopez, and Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, as well as Southern California musicians including Sara Petite, Shawn Rohlf, Simians, Tracy Lee Nelson, and Fanny and the Attaboys. He has shared the stage with Grammy-nominated performers Amigo the Devil and Wayne “The Train” Hancock, and has recorded in San Diego and Nashville with Ken Coomer, Ben Moore, Jordan Andreen, and Steve Peavey, among others.

A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Brandon studied music under influential mentors Dr. Scott Marcus and Dr. Eric Ederer. He performed on seven instruments in the UCSB Middle East Ensemble and appeared multiple times at the UCLA Ladino Symposium. Twice awarded the Sarkis Tchejeyan Fellowship, he deepened his studies of the oud and ney. In San Diego, Shawn Rohlf and Steve Peavey shaped his exploration of American folk music.

Brandon is also a maker of kavals (Balkan/Anatolian flutes) and Native American flutes, crafts rooted in skills taught by his father and grandfather. He studied with master flute makers in Turkey, performed in Istanbul, and has since provided instruments to musicians across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. He also studied Native American flute traditions with Mac Lopez, a respected maker and recording artist whose spirit continues to inspire his work.

Of Luiseño heritage, Brandon is committed to cultural revitalization and language preservation. He collaborates with his mother in storytelling programs, providing musical accompaniment and, at times, speaking on traditional plant use and ethnobotany. In San Diego’s Serbian and Bulgarian communities, he performs for cultural events on kaval, accordion, violin, zurla, and tapan.

As a teaching artist with World Music in the Schools, Brandon leads residencies in ukulele and banjo. He has also taught school workshops on banjo, kaval, Native American flute, and flute making, encouraging students to explore not only sound and rhythm but also the stories behind the music.

Brandon describes his work as a calling he follows naturally. Whether performing, teaching, or crafting instruments, he seeks to connect people to music’s power to carry culture, history, and human experience.