Brennan Riggs

Media Scoring, Classical Composing, Sound Design

Brennan Riggs is a composer from Nolensville, Tennessee with a focus in media composition. Brennan writes and arranges for video games, animations, and short films as well as classical ensembles. His work began in high school, scoring one-act theater shows, arranging choral works, and writing original pieces for string orchestra. Upon attending Bradley University, Brennan swiftly began work on projects such as Eye of the Erime, Knock-A-Gnome, and Midwest Goodbye, which has been recognized at both local and national conferences. Brennan is particularly passionate about musical storytelling, believing in the power of music to “tell a better story” and allow the listener to internalize the experience. Outside of music, Brennan enjoys watching hockey, basketball, and Formula One, playing board games with friends and family, and performing improvised comedy.

Featured Compositions

"Clockwork"

(from Midwest Goodbye)

Midwest Goodbye is a deck-builder about growing up. The cards used in gameplay continue the conversation with the player’s family as players grow up and move out of the house. "Clockwork" is Mom’s card-battling theme. Mom is orderly, put-together, and always on time as shown by the consistent ticking of a clock.

"To Leave the Nest"

"To Leave the Nest" is a standalone piece for string orchestra written about a baby bird learning to fly. Soaring melodies depict the bird flying overhead, tumbling back to the ground during a tumultuous storm, and overcoming the odds with a rush of determination.

More Classical Compositions

"Ocean"

"Ocean" is a documentary trailer about our world's marine ecosystems. The music serves to underscore the various functions of the waves to human and animal life, and helps highlight the different benefits of the Earth's biggest body of water for all things. The feeling of the ocean's consistent movement is aided by ever-flowing musical ideas, seamlessly blending from one into another.

MDEV 2025

In November of 2025, the team behind Midwest Goodbye brought the game to MDEV, a large game conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Brennan got to sit with the production team, talking about the process of making a game as special as Midwest Goodbye, and how he utilized the player's emotions to make them feel more connected to the game.

Testimonials

What My Team Members Have to Say

Brennan is incredibly easy to work with. He communicates effectively with his team and his work is phenomenal. He takes feedback well and is quick to iterate accordingly. He cares about the project his music is for and stays up to date and involved with the development process to ensure that his music fits the gameplay. His excitement for music and the project itself shows clearly in the tracks he's made.

Jacqueline Heisel

Producer, Geist Heist/Midwest Goodbye

For the first track Brennan composed, he made a draft of the title theme. He asked for some feedback and iterated through at least another two or three drafts until we felt that the track fit our game's tone. From there, Brennan worked lightning quick and produced some of the highest quality music I've had the pleasure of putting into a game. Once Brennan understood what we were looking for, probably 80% of the work he made from then on barely needed any major changes. Despite that, Brennan always asked for feedback and continued to maintain communication with the team. We could not be happier with the music Brennan composed for Eye of the Erime, and I personally hope to continue working with Brennan in some capacity moving forward!

Alex Koeberl

Creative Director, Eye of the Erime

Brennan is an absolute delight to work with. The three best words to describe his work are efficient, expressive, and imaginative. His communication is top notch, and his music is even better. After working with him over the summer, I immediately requested him back for my next project.

Sky Beal

Programmer, Knock-A-Gnome/Midwest Goodbye/Geist Heist