Trent Bruner

Trent is the oldest son of Howard and Gerda Bruner of Canwood, Saskatchewan, Canada.

He began his musical involvement at age 12 with piano lessons under Grace Buhler in Canwood, Saskatchewan. He acquired his grade schooling in Canwood and holds degrees in elementary music education and elementary classroom education from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, majoring in piano under Cecile Desrosiers and Naida Archer, minoring in voice with Murray Moats, and studying accompanying under Nadya March. He sang for four years in the Greystone Singers, the University’s touring concert choir, including performances at the Saskatchewan Pavilion during EXPO '86 in Vancouver (where he also sang solo), and the inauguration of Ray Hnatyshyn as Governor-General of Canada in January 1990, as well as played tuba for two years in the University of Saskatchewan Concert Band. He also holds a Masters degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway, with his Masters thesis being an ethnomusicological biography on Saskatchewan fiddler and accordionist Everett Larson entitled "Everett Larson - An Ethnomusicological Biography: Music as Community in the Life of a Saskatchewan Traditional Folk Musician." For a musical change of pace, Trent also plays guitar and sings. He is also active as a music teacher, choir conductor, album producer, piano and guitar accompanist, composer in various musical genres and as a choral music arranger. Trent has also been active in as a volunteer church pianist with the United Church of Canada and as an employed organist with the Norwegian Lutheran Church. He has also appeared as a guest at various church services and related functions in Canada and Norway with various Christian denominations, and has taken organ lessons with retired Norwegian church organist Kirsten Øgaard.

He has appeared throughout Canada, the United States and Europe as a piano accompanist for various fiddle acts in competition, show and dance and as a house accompanist at various fiddle contests in Canada and the United States, including 25 times as an official accompanist for Canada's official national fiddle championship, the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Competition, where Canada's championship class fiddlers compete for the honour of becoming Canadian national fiddle champion.