Neb. Child Prodigy, 14, Kills Self

A musical prodigy who completed high school at age 10 apparently committed suicide at 14, authorities said.

Brandenn E. Bremmer, who had studied piano improvisation at Colorado State University at Fort Collins, Colo., was found dead Tuesday at his rural Venango home in southwest Nebraska with a gunshot wound to the head, the Perkins County sheriff's office said.

One of his teachers, David Wohl, said Friday he was shocked to learn of the apparent suicide.

"He wasn't just talented, he was just a really nice young man," said Wohl, a keyboardist, composer and assistant professor of music at CSU.

Brandenn's parents, Martin and Patricia, took turns driving him to Fort Collins for 90 minute sessions every other week all of last year, Wohl said. He last saw Brandenn in mid-December, Wohl said.

"He had an easy smile. He really was unpretentious," Wohl said. "I treated him as a nice young man who wanted to improvise on the piano. He was a great pleasure to have."

In January, Brandenn began taking one course in biology at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte, college spokesman Chuck Salestrom said. In 2001, Brandenn had taken one other course at the school, Salestrom said.

The Bremmers have an unlisted telephone number and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Brandenn began playing the piano at 3 and took his first high school class at 6. He was home-schooled through high school, completing his junior and senior years in seven months. At 11, he starting taking independent study classes at Colorado State.

Brandenn took courses in the spring and fall semesters of 2002, CSU spokeswoman Dell Rae Moellenberg said. Since then, he had retained contact with some teachers at the school in a more private, tutorial relationship, Moellenberg said.

Janet Landreth, a professor of music at CSU who taught Brandenn, was home ill and declined to immediately comment, Moellenberg said.

The investigation into Brandenn's death was continuing, although there were no indications of foul play, the sheriff's office said. Reached late Friday afternoon at his home, Sheriff James D. Brueggeman said the investigation was ongoing and he would not comment.