Samuel Brady is a conductor and horn player based out of his hometown in Newport News, Virginia. Samuel is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music in Horn Performance at Christopher Newport University. Throughout his college career, Samuel has been an active member of the Christopher Newport University Wind Ensemble, giving numerous performances per year, and he participated in the CNU Wind Ensemble tour of Greece and Cyprus in the spring of 2019. In addition to Wind Ensemble, Samuel has played and sung in various other ensembles at CNU, including the Chamber Choir, a Brass Quartet, and the Orchestra. His principal horn teachers have included Jacob Wilder, John Shawger, and Stephen Slater.
In the Summer of 2021, Samuel participated in CNU’s Summer Scholars program with his mentor, Dr. Chelsey Hamm, doing research in music theory pedagogy. He has published numerous chapters in Open Music Theory—the first online open-source music theory textbook—including: “Texture,” “Roman Numeral Analysis and SATB Chord Construction,” “Inversions and Figured Bass,” and “The Basics of Sight Singing and Dictation.” Samuel has presented his research at CNU’s “Family Weekend Symposium” and “Summer Scholars Showcase,” and will present at the College Music Society Mid-Atlantic conference in April.
Samuel’s notable conducting performances include David Biedenbender’s Unquiet Hours with the CNU Wind Ensemble at the Christopher Newport University Contemporary Music Festival. Since then, he has conducted Percy Grainger’s Mock Morris and João Guilherme Ripper’s Brasiliana, both with the CNU Wind Ensemble. He is making his orchestral debut with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic conducting Ralph Vaughan Williams’s English Folk Song Suite arranged by Gordon Jacob. In the future, Samuel plans to achieve a graduate degree in orchestral conducting and conduct youth orchestras or collegiate orchestral ensembles.
Samuel holds professional memberships in Pi Kappa Lamda, Omicron Delta Kappa, the International Conductors Guild, and the International Horn Society.
