Biography

Robert J. Bradshaw focuses on creating relevant compositions inspired by social, historical, and community-based events. His music has been heard around the world from Lincoln Center to Australia.

Dedicated to supporting music education, Mr. Bradshaw is Composer-in-Residence for the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras where he creates works for all levels of the program and runs a yearly workshop where the students collaboratively compose and perform a piece for their spring concert. Mr. Bradshaw is also Composer-in-Residence for the Tennessee Valley Music Festival where he creates works for all participating students and ensembles. His most recent commission, “Echoes In the Deep” for whale song and orchestra, raises awareness of the dangers facing the humpback whale. In conjunction with TVMF, Mr. Bradshaw is director of the Young Composers’ Forum where he works with student composers from around the world, giving them hands-on experience writing for, and working with, orchestral musicians and ensembles.

One of Mr. Bradshaw’s specialties is composing music performable by entire programs, simultaneously. Recent commissions include all-program works for Gordon College (SATB Choir, Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, Children’s Choir, solo violin, organ, concert band and orchestra), Melrose Public Schools' entire string program, Rockport Public Schools' orchestral program, and the Ipswich Public Schools' band program plus chorus, orchestra, and alumni chamber ensembles.

Mr. Bradshaw is founder of the Virtual Ensemble Project, providing reduced cost professional video editing services to ensembles in order to promote musical collaboration and performance during a time when many students are socially distanced. This project is supported by two of Mr. Bradshaw’s companies, Beauport Classical, a label dedicated to releasing music by living composers, and Studio 251, a full-service audio mastering studio and video editing suite.