Balliett, Brad, 1983-

Brad Balliett was raised in Westborough, Massachusetts. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 2005, where he studied composition with John Harbison, and holds an M.M. from Rice University. He is passionate about music and has focused equally on composing, playing the bassoon, and teaching. Currently, he holds the position of principal bassoon in the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, is a member of Signal and Metropolis Ensemble, and is the Artistic Director for Decoda, the first and only Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall. He also teaches at The Peabody Institute, The Juilliard School, and Musicambia.

As a bassoonist, Brad has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the Houston Symphony, the New York City Ballet, and the International Contemporary Ensemble. He has also performed at various festivals including Marlboro, Tanglewood, Stellenbosch, Newport Jazz, and Lucerne. In addition, he has soloed with the Houston Symphony and Johannesburg Symphony Orchestras.

Brad is also an accomplished composer, having written orchestral, chamber, choral, operatic, and incidental music. He has received commissions from renowned organizations such as Carnegie Hall, the Cecelia Chorus, and the Brooklyn Art Song Society. Besides his professional engagements, Brad is involved in leading composition and songwriting workshops within correctional communities at various locations such as Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Allendale Correctional Facility, Lee Correctional Institute, Brooklyn Detention Center, San Quentin State Prison, Radgowski-Corrigan, and Bain Correctional Center. Furthermore, he is a member of the band/composer-collective Oracle Hysterical and has released several critically acclaimed albums with them.