Brad Baumgardner Bio

Composer and Bass Clarinetist Brad Baumgardner earned a B.A. in music from Western Kentucky University in 2003, a M.M. in composition from the University of Louisville in 2006,  and in 2011 was awarded a D.M.A. serving as the graduate teaching assistant in composition at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance where his creative programming and leadership was rewarded with the Kauffman Foundation Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2010.

Brad’s music is regularly performed in the United States and internationally and has been described as “energetic” and full of “lovely harmonies”.  Brad remains active as a performer both as a solo artist and as a member of prominent area ensembles. His playing has been hailed by critics as “virtuosic” and has been recently described by the Kansas City Star as “effortless” and “unearthly”.  Recent engagements include multiple performances by the Digital Honkbox Revival in Iowa, Kansas City and Washington, multiple featured performances with the Kansas City Electronic Music Association, performances for the Charlotte Street foundation at Kansas City’s fabled Blue Room, and a performance as a soloist with the UMKC student orchestra on the premiere of his own concerto for bass clarinet and orchestra.

Brad continues to foster the development of contemporary and experimental art music both as a composer and as a performer through commissioning projects, workshops, and masterclasses.  During his time in Kansas City, Brad has played on the premiere performances of over thirty new works. Brad is a founding member of the experimental music group, the Digital Honkbox Revival, which focuses on music that features electric and acoustic influences and open collaborations with multidisciplinary artists.

His awards include an individual artist grant from the Kentucky Arts Council, a residency as an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the Kauffman Foundation’s 2010 excellence in graduate teaching award.  He and his family currently live in Nashville TN where he serves as an advisor and adjunct professor at MTSU.

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