KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 16, 2020

The professional film actor also deciphers Gregorian chants and sings in operas

Bryson Brozovsky, a junior in the School of Music (SOM), is rather soft-spoken when he first begins talking about his life, work and hobbies. However, his voice is soon filled with an energy that foreshadows his many accomplishments, including his own page on the popular professional actor site IMBD, graduate-level research, and performing in his first opera. Designated an honor student in the major, Bryson easily discusses his work on deciphering ancient Gregorian chant manuscripts, his passion for music, and his love of performing.

In pursuit of a B.A. in Applied Voice, Bryson has participated in Men’s Chorus, KSU Chorale, and, most recently, performed in "A Game of Chance" by Seymour Barab, in spring 2019 in the production of “Three One-Act American 20th Century Operas.” Director Eileen Moremen said, “Bryson was an asset to the Opera Theater class. He energetically engaged with his first ever opera, having done plenty of theater before this. His warm baritone voice was well suited to the role and the chemistry onstage was evident between the singing actors in the fantasy one act entitled 'A Game of Chance' where he played Fate in many guises.”

Bryson isn’t taking any chances, though, with his educational career. As part of the Honors Program, he devised an Honors Contract to decipher Gregorian chant manuscripts believed to be from the 1400s to 1600s. To do so, he met with ethnomusicologist Tamara Livingston, executive director of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books, and Edward Eanes, professor of Music History. The intensity, detail, and skill of the work Bryson took on was far greater than any undergraduate student would typically perform. “He’s an undergraduate, but he essentially completed the persistent and detailed research of a graduate student,” said Eanes.

Throughout the research, Bryson encountered musical symbols and notation that have not been recorded much, if at all. Eanes added, “Bryson and I came across notation we have never seen before, including the Double C Clef. No one knows how to manipulate or interpret that, and, with Bryson’s critical thinking and deductive reasoning, he was able to give an insanely educated guess on how to read it. I was floored with his professionalism.” Bryson humbly credits the “8 Foundations of Honors Learning” within the School of Music for his success. “I cannot tell you the amount of connections there were to the Foundations,” said Bryson. “From critical thinking to leadership to information fluency, this Contract was a perfect example of how the Honors Program can work within the School of Music.”

When he’s not playing music history detective, Bryson is a professional film actor who goes by his stage name Bryson Truman. He has appeared in television series such as Dead Silence, A Haunting, and Ozark, and the movie Sweet Home Carolina. When asked what he wants to do after he graduates, he hesitates a bit. “My aspirations kind of span out to a few different areas; of course, I enjoy performing a lot, but I also enjoy the making of music as well, in terms of composition and as a singer/songwriter. Recently, I have also decided to start a music entertainment business minor. I have learned that there is a vast field of jobs and possibilities out there.”

In his spare time, Bryson likes to make music and put it down in notation; he typically uses software MuseScore for notation and Reason Studios for their synths, instruments, and effects. He also enjoys hanging out with his family, playing with his dogs Bailey and Magnus, and teaching and competing in taekwondo. Not surprisingly, he has won several state taekwondo championship titles and even placed in the top ten in the world.

Leslie J. Blackwell, interim director of the School of Music, said, “Bryson is the kind of student who takes a seed and lets it germinate. He takes one little concept and he lets it build—lets it germinate and become organic—and then, very thoughtfully and purposefully, follows it through.”

--Kathie Beckett