Don Breithaupt

Don Breithaupt (pronounced Bright-up) (born April 8, 1961 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and author.

He received his musical education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied Jazz Composition and Arranging, and his literary education at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, receiving a B.A. (Honours) in English and Film Studies.

Breithaupt was raised in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (then a western suburb of Toronto) in a musical household. His father was a jazz piano enthusiast, and his mother was an accomplished classical soprano and choir director, so music was heard regularly in the home. His parents took him and his two younger brothers, who were also musically inclined, to concerts and bought them records. Breithaupt started taking piano lessons at a young age, but he discontinued the lessons at age eight. He took up the piano again at age twelve, at a time when Elton John, Billy Joel, and other piano-based pop artists were becoming radio staples. He picked up this and other music by ear, eventually developing an insider’s knowledge of the work of Steely Dan, the Beatles, Chicago, and Paul Simon. He played the drums in rock bands during his high school years, but never abandoned the piano. Songwriting became his strongest interest. As an English/Film undergraduate at Queen’s University in nearby Kingston, Ontario, Breithaupt spent much of his spare time at Harrison-LeCaine Hall, practicing piano, writing songs, and teaching himself the craft of arranging. He immersed himself in jazz: the Pat Metheny Group, Weather Report, and several of the pianists he had first heard as a child: Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Dave Brubeck. In 1983, upon completion of his bachelor’s degree, Breithaupt was awarded a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music by the Frederick Harris Music Company.

As a songwriter, his work has been covered by artists including Alfie Zappacosta, Marc Jordan, Dione Taylor, Sarah Slean, Denzal Sinclaire, Patricia O'Callaghan, Wendy Lands, and Chris Smith. He has co-written three songs nominated for Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy), and has twice been a co-winner (along with his brother Jeff) in both the American Songwriting Competition, and the International Songwriting Competition.

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