Brendan Polk is originally from Savannah, Georgia. Polk started playing classical piano at the age of four and became fascinated with swing and improvised music at age twelve when he first listened to the music of Erroll Garner. Shortly thereafter he studied jazz performance at Florida State University under the tutelage of masters such as Marcus Roberts, Bill Peterson, and Leon Anderson. Since Polk’s start in improvised music he has performed or worked with many renowned musicians and artists, including Sonny Fortune, Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards, Quentin Baxter, Tanztheater Wuppertal, Mark Morris, Delbert Felix, Ben Tucker, Neal Caine, and Leon Anderson. He has performed at venues such as Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center, the Telluride Jazz Festival, the Savannah Jazz Festival, Smalls, and the Louis Armstrong House. 

Since moving to New York City in 2017, Polk has regularly played for company class at New York City Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Center, and Gibney Dance. Polk is also a member of the Saturn Quartet, and his compositions on their album Synchronicities have been broadcasted internationally on a variety of radio programs.