MT. LEBANON, Pa. — Brett McCutcheon is a North Allegheny High School and Slippery Rock University alumnus who is now a band instructor at Mt. Lebanon High School.
The young composer’s life was forever changed by the sudden loss of his older brother, Ryan, who died in a car crash in 2017.
Channeling his grief, McCutcheon produced a five-track EP that is the heartbeat of a moving 40-minute tribute documentary from Flying Scooter Productions, “The Ocean-Five Years.”
Director Jennifer Schlieper seamlessly weaves together McCutcheon’s personal video diaries, interviews with family and friends, and footage of musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra who bring McCutcheon’s songs to life.
“The Ocean-Five Years” has been accepted into film festivals around the world and was the winner of Best Documentary at the Vienna Independent Film Festival.
It premieres in Pittsburgh at the Three Rivers Film Festival on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the August Wilson Cultural Center. The highly acclaimed film is an uplifting experience that reaffirms the power of music as an instrument for healing.
McCutcheon and Schlieper shared their story with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 anchor Mike Clark, which can be seen in the full video above.