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Barlow Bradford
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Barlow Bradford

Professor, Choral Studies
The Ellen Neilson Barnes Presidential Endowed Chair for Choral Studies

DMA University of Southern California
MM University of Southern California
BM University of Utah 

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Office: DGH 254
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Biography

Over the course of his extraordinary musical career, Dr. Barlow Bradford has distinguished himself as a conductor, composer, arranger, pianist, organist, and teacher. As an orchestral and choral conductor, he co-founded the Utah Chamber Artists in 1991 and has led that organization to international acclaim for its impeccable, nuanced performances and award-winning recordings including an INDIE from NAIRD (National Association of Independent Record Distributors & Manufacturers) for the CD "Welcome All Wonders," released in 1996 on the BWE label.

Utah Chamber Artists was featured on NPR's "The First Art," a program dedicated to choral music and performed as a featured ensemble with the Boston Pops and Utah Symphony. Under his baton, Utah Chamber Artists also toured Israel with the Israel Chamber Orchestra, performed as the guest choir at the American Choral Directors Association national convention, and joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on their national television broadcast. Dr. Bradford's focused, energetic conducting style led to his appointment as music director of the Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City and associate director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Prior to that, he was director of orchestras at the University of Utah.

His compositions and arrangements have garnered much attention for their innovation and dramatic scope, from delicate, transparent intimacy to epic grandeur. His most recent composition, "From the Fowl's Perspective," received its world premiere when presented to an elated audience during a performance by the Honolulu Symphony in October 2005. Many of Bradford's arrangements have been recorded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and performed regularly by such noted ensembles as the Dallas Symphony Chorus, New York Choral Artists, and the Utah Chamber Artists. His music has been recorded on Telarc, Clarion, Bonneville, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir labels. A full CD of his exuberant arrangements of Christmas Carols, "Joyous Day," featuring the Utah Chamber Artists, is on the Clarion label.

Dr. Bradford's performance career began in his early teens when he won numerous competitions in both organ and piano performance, including the National Young Artists Competition and the Utah Symphony Salute to Youth. He soloed on both instruments with the Utah Symphony and has concertized throughout England and North America. Still a much sought-after recitalist, he combines technical virtuosity and deep musical sensitivity to create memorable musical experiences for audience and performers alike.

As a teacher, Dr. Bradford taught courses in music theory, conducting, arranging, composition, private piano and organ at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University Hawaii. He received his doctorate of musical arts from the University of Southern California, where he was awarded the Kodolfsky Graduate Fellowship, the Music Faculty endowed Scholarship, the Leo Podolsky Piano Performance Award, the Mary Van Lear Memorial Scholarship, and was voted by the faculty as "Most Outstanding Student" in both conducting and keyboard collaborative arts. He studied conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Festival and received bachelor of music in piano performance from the University of Utah. His teachers and mentors include Gustav Meier, Daniel Lewis, Nina Svetlanova, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Gladys Gladstone, Lennox Larsen and Robert Cundick.

Courses Taught

  • University Singers
  • A Cappella Choir
  • Conducting
  • Conducting - Private Lessons
Last Updated: 8/14/24