BIOGRAPHY
Sean Bradley's life and work is the manifestation of a deep belief that music is not just an expressive calling, but charts a path to both a personal and interpersonal way of being critical for the spiritual and cultural evolution of all peoples. As a performer, he has worked across every conceivable genre and with every conceivable type of artist—from classical, to jazz, to hip hop, to Latin music, and many more.
A Los Angeles native, Sean Bradley began violin lessons at an early age with Katherine Korngold, the granddaughter of famed Hollywood film music icon Erich Korngold. Further studies followed with some of the most important concertmasters of the 20th century: Harold Ayres (a pupil of Leopold Auer and concertmaster of Minneapolis Symphony under Eugene Ormandy), Ilya Kaler (the only violinist in history to win gold at the Tchaikovsky, Paganini, and Sibelius competitions), as well as with revered violin legend Abram Shtern (concertmaster of the Shevchenko Opera and Ballet Orchestra).
Moved by encounters with Korngold's music and others, violin lessons were soon accompanied by serious study in composition—first with the esteemed Cuban professor Aurelio de la Vega, a towering figure in contemporary classical music. After military service, studies in traditional composition continued at the Eastman School of Music with Pulitzer Prize winner Christopher Rouse alongside electronic music pioneer Allan Schindler. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Mr. Bradley served briefly as the Artistic Director of the second largest opera company in the city, and became the close friend and protégé of one of history's most celebrated opera composers, Daniel Catán. Having deep musical knowledge rooted in both compositon and music theory, Mr. Bradley was consulted directly by Placido Domingo regarding the posthumous completion of Catán's final opera, and was asked by the composer's estate to conduct a private reading of the extant score for Maestros Domingo and Conlon, and other executive staff at LA Opera.
For the last decade and a half, Mr. Bradley has served as the orchestral leader and conductor of choice for multi-Grammy winning Latin music legend Marco Antonio Solis, for whom he has conducted sold out stadium shows at the Hollywood Bowl, the Forum, the Dolby, BMO Stadium, and more.
Mr. Bradley has taught music professionally since 1983—for the Glendale and Los Angeles Unified School Districts, at the Orange County High School of the Arts, and at his own very select private studio. While touring extensively as a principal player and conductor, he has served as a guest clinician in the US, China, and Mexico.
Moreover, Mr. Bradley has managed concerts for hundreds of the world's most elite and critically acclaimed chamber musicians while producing concerts under the auspices of Pacfic Serenades and Chamber Music in Historic Sites. In addition to his own performing and teaching career, Mr. Bradley presently serves as president for one of the most trusted and widely distributed entertainment companies and music contracting services in the world—Concert Talent. Through Concert Talent, Mr. Bradley led, for instance, artist recruitment for the most significant endeavor in the history of the saxophone—i.e., 300 concerts with 200 artists in nine weeks across the entire Western Hemisphere—in support of an engagement marketing campaign for MAC Cosmetics and their first line of make-up for women of color, their most successful campaign ever. Whether on stage, behind the curtain, or in the boardroom, the more creative and visionary the project, the more it inspires Mr. Bradley's passion for excellence in both performance and production.
I propose where art is concerned, even though the map may not be the territory, it is most certainly the best tool by which we may find our way home. Art, and the deliberate act of making it, exercises an internal compass which guides the migration of all humans to a more evolved and conscious state of being.
— from interview on We Choose Art
Believing human imagination lives in both Beethoven and Brahms as well as bits and bytes, Mr. Bradley also serves as a creative and technical consultant across a vast array of industries. He is a leading futurist on music and AI—publishing a comprehensive book on the topic: The Ultimate A.I. Primer for Creative Entrepreneurs. When not touring or in the studio, his favorite hobbies are lifting weights and surfing. A certified trainer, he is one of the first and most visible proponents of weight training and its positive impact on violin technique. A deep understanding of anatomy underscores his approach to string instruction. Prior to completing his education at the Eastman School, Mr. Bradley also served in Special Operations as an Army Ranger, and later in Washington D.C. as a Presidential Escort.