Brian began playing the violin in fifth grade in Garden Grove, California. None of his music teachers in primary and secondary schools were string players. As a result, most of his skills on the violin were self-taught. He also taught himself how to play the viola and cello in junior high and high school. He began his formal study on the viola at the age of 18 with Thomas Hall at Chapman University in Orange, California after earning a music scholarship. He earned his Bachelor's degree in psychology and minor in music at Chapman. Brian also studied the viola with John Thomson at the University of South Dakota, where he received his Master?s degree in Counseling. Brian is currently a school counselor at Park High School in Cottage Grove. He is finishing up his Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and teaches private lessons.

Brian was the principal violist for the Chapman Symphony, Chapman Chamber Orchestra, and the University of South Dakota Symphony. He was a member of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra in Pueblo, Colorado, the Vietnamese American Philharmonic, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and is currently the principal violist for the Dakota Valley Symphony.