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Brooklyn Duo

Pianist Marnie Laird and cellist Patrick Laird turn pop songs, film themes and classical favorites into instrumental arrangements as Brooklyn Duo.

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Latest

Brooklyn Duo’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.

Known for

Overview

Members: Marnie Laird, piano; Patrick Laird, cello
Started: 2014, in Brooklyn
Sound: Classical crossover, pop covers and film music
First spark: Shakira shared their cover of Empire

Mini bio

How it started.

Marnie and Patrick met at a chamber music festival in 2006 and married in 2012. She studied at Juilliard and became principal pianist of the New World Symphony; he studied at Eastman and co-founded cello rock band Break of Reality.

The first covers.

In 2014, they posted arrangements of Shakira’s Empire and John Legend’s All of Me. Shakira shared their work, encouraging them to keep making videos. In 2016, they launched Brooklyn Classical to share classical performances.

Making music together.

In their 2021 Q&A, they explained that Marnie usually drafts an arrangement before they play through it together. Patrick leads the string writing for larger ensembles. Their Chamber Music album with Dover Quartet brings that approach to songs by Coldplay, Metallica and more.

Music beyond the channel.

Their recordings have appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. In September 2026, Patrick joined Ari Herstand’s New Music Business podcast to discuss streaming, sheet music and building a career around their recordings.

Creditschronological, newest first

2026Brooklyn Sessions 13Performers · 10-track album
2021Chamber Music (feat. Dover Quartet)Performers and arrangers
2019Canon in DArrangers and performers
2017Take On Me at Carnegie HallArrangers and performers with Ensemble Connect

Awards

A.R.C.T. piano performance Gold MedalMember honor: Marnie received the Gold Medal for the highest exam mark in Canada, according to the duo’s official biography.

Quotes

We were both performing at a classical summer music festival in Maine and ended up meeting through music-making.Brooklyn Duo, Legendary Vocals Q&A

On how they met, August 31, 2021. https://store.peterhollens.com/blogs/news/featured-artist-q-a-with-brooklyn-duo

Trivia

The name came from living in Brooklyn when they began making videos.
Patrick is 6 feet 7 inches tall, according to their official FAQ.
Their Canon in D arrangement gives the cello the melody while the piano handles the repeated bass line.
In their 2021 Q&A, they said True Colors was their daughter’s bedtime favorite.