Brenda discovered the hammered dulcimer in 1993, and the world of traditional music soon after. Her musical training began in early childhood, while singing with her family. She went on to study piano, violin, saxophone, guitar and voice, completing her degree in music education.

From rock to Renaissance, Celtic to classical, Brenda has played with a wide spectrum of ensembles. Her new CD Catching the Mooncoin features the hammered dulcimer, with backing by her current band, Banshee in the Kitchen, and friends. The band produced its debut CD, If We Were Us, in January 2003, and latest effort, Even Hotter Water, in late 2005. Brenda’s two earlier CDs, still in digital circulation, were recorded with flautist Cindy Angel—The Captive Maiden and Christmas Collage.

She won the National Hammered Dulcimer Competition at Winfield, Kansas in 1996, and teaches regularly at the CTMS Summer Solstice Festival in Calabasas, California. She has also presented workshops at the Ozark Dulcimer Festival in Mt. View, AR, the Sawdust Festival in Bennington, Oklahoma, the Claremont Folk Festival, and the Harvest Festival in Dana Point, California. Brenda performs regularly throughout Central and Southern California as a soloist, and with Banshee in the Kitchen.