== Short Bio ==

Born in Western Canada, took up trombone, trumpet, piano and drums early on and quickly fell in love with music, playing in various bands and joining the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra as a founding member. 

After high school Brad decided on a career in music and entered the University of Victoria on trombone. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Gordon Cherry of the Vancouver Symphony, then went on to a Master of Music degree at Northwestern University, where he studied with Frank Crisafulli of the Chicago Symphony. He received a Canada Council Grant for private study with Mark Lawrence of the San Francisco Symphony, attended the Aspen, Banff, and Waterloo Music Festivals, and performed for three years in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada where he studied with Richard Erb, then Bass Trombonist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Brad won the audition for Principal Trombone of the Victoria Symphony in 1989, holding the position for 35 years before retiring in 2024. During that time Brad was also a member of the Beacon Hill Brass on trombone and euphonium, and he performed as a substitute musician with the Palm Court Orchestra, the new music group Aventa Ensemble, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In 2025 Brad accepted a trombone/euphonium teaching position at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. In the past he has taught at the University of Victoria, Comox Valley Youth Music Centre, and Marrowstone Music Festival. 

Brad is an avid arranger of music for brass instruments, with over 150 titles available to download at musicforbrass.com and sheetmusicplus.com. He began composing music in 2020, and is fortunate to have had some pieces performed by local groups and orchestras. Brad is a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). 

== Long Bio ==

Born in Western Canada, Brad spent much of his youth in the outdoors: fishing and hunting with his dad; hiking and camping in outdoor clubs or with friends. He took up trombone, trumpet, piano and drums early on and quickly fell in love with music, playing in various bands and joining the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra as a founding member. 

After high school Brad decided on a career in music and entered the University of Victoria on trombone. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Gordon Cherry of the Vancouver Symphony, then went on to a Master of Music degree at Northwestern University, where he studied with Frank Crisafulli of the Chicago Symphony. He received a Canada Council Grant for private study with Mark Lawrence of the San Francisco Symphony, attended the Aspen, Banff, and Waterloo Music Festivals, and performed for three years in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada where he studied with Richard Erb, then Bass Trombonist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Brad worked his way through university in various jobs: forklift operator, dishwasher, pizza delivery boy, gas station attendant, a musician in the Canadian military reserves (where he learned to fire a Howitzer), and a summer performing trombone/drums and driving trucks for the Toby Tyler Circus. One of the last remaining "Big Top" circuses in the world, the (now defunct) Toby Tyler Circus taught Brad many important and useful skills, such as how to drive an 18 wheeler tractor trailer unit up a steep, gravel road (floor it), how to drive a stake in the ground with a sledge hammer (don't), and how to keep on playing while a herd of miniature horses stampedes by. 

Brad spent six weeks in Southern Africa in 1992, just after Nelson Mandela's release and before the official fall of Apartheid with the first non-racial democratic election in 1994. He toured South Africa and Namibia with Kevin Thompson (at that time a trombonist with the Cape Town Philharmonic), witnessing many demonstrations and much rioting in Cape Town, and visiting the shanty towns first hand. 

Brad won the audition for Principal Trombone of the Victoria Symphony in 1989, holding the position for 35 years before retiring in 2024. During that time Brad was also a member of the Beacon Hill Brass on trombone and euphonium, and he performed as a substitute musician with the Palm Court Orchestra, the new music group Aventa Ensemble, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Brad performed as a member of the Victoria Symphony Brass Quintet for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Some other notable people Brad has performed with as a side musician include: Natalie MacMaster, Paul Anka, Sarah Brightman, Kiri Te Kanawa, David Foster, Dudley Moore, The Moody Blues, The Three Irish Tenors, Sheena Easton, Kenny G, Celine Dion, and former astronaut Chris Hadfield. 

In 2025 Brad accepted a trombone/euphonium teaching position at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. In the past he has taught at the University of Victoria, Comox Valley Youth Music Centre, and Marrowstone Music Festival.

Brad is an avid arranger of music for brass instruments, with over 150 titles available to download at musicforbrass.com and sheetmusicplus.com. He began composing music in 2020, and is fortunate to have had some pieces performed by local groups and orchestras. Brad is a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).