Brett Shurtliffe received his Bachelor in Music and the prestigious Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with James VanDemark and his Master's in Music from Duquesne University, where he studied with Jeffrey Turner. In 2003 he was the top American prizewinner at the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, and two years later took First Prize at the ISB Orchestral Competition. Since being appointed the Associate Principal Double Bass with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007, Brett has appeared numerous times as a soloist with the BPO, as well as with the Amherst Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, and in 2001 was co-creator and soloist in Heresy, a new music concert conducted by Rochester Philharmonic's Jeff Tyzik. Brett's playing has been described as "immaculate" in a 2012 Bass World review, and "Not even Johann Sebastian shredded as hard as this guy" were the accolades from an imaginative recital at a downtown Buffalo night club in 2012. His recital engagements have taken him across the U.S. and Canada, and as an orchestral musician he also performed with the Wheeling, Erie, Detroit and Pittsburgh Symphonies. He currently teaches at Canisius College and is on faculty at the Round Top Festival Institute.