ABOUT
Joseph Bricker is a Cincinnati-based percussionist, educator, and creative leader known for his ability to empower others through music and art.
A “tour de force” performer (Seen and Heard International), Bricker is the Associate Principal Timpani/Percussion of the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestras, appointed by Louis Langrée in 2021. Prior to joining the CSO, Bricker was the percussion fellow with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2019-2022. Bricker's orchestral performance career includes appearances with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera, among others. His summer engagements have included fellowships with the Verbier, Tanglewood, Pacific (Japan), and Aspen Music Festivals. He holds a Master of Music from DePaul University, where he studied with Cynthia Yeh, and a Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School under Greg Zuber, with additional studies with Patricia Dash.
Deeply invested in community engagement and innovative educational models, Bricker co-founded the From Scratch program in 2020. This initiative provides students from the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Nouveau Strings program with cost-free creative instruction in contemporary composition and performance. The program has developed 16 world premieres from first-time composers and created multiple spontaneous audience composed works, with forthcoming partnerships expanding the reach of the program nationwide.
As a Morse Teaching Artist Fellow in 2017, Bricker co-created a new band program for New York Public School #191. He has worked with Notes for Peace, a Chicago-based project that collaborates with families affected by gun violence to create songs in memory of their loved ones. In Cincinnati, Bricker has led workshops on incorporating contemporary music into general music education and designed interactive performances across various curricular topics. His educational impact extends to roles as a consultant and educator for institutions such as the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Chicago Public Schools, the Aspen Music Festival, the Illinois Music Educators Association, and Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. Bricker also serves on the percussion faculty at Northern Kentucky University.
An advocate for new and contemporary music, Bricker has collaborated with composers such as Steve Reich, Tyshawn Sorey, Kevin Day, Silvia Borzelli, Vivian Fung, Thomas Adès, and Fredrick Gifford on several premieres and recordings, including the production of a new sound film for Elizabeth A. Baker’s work “meditation for water, wind, and metal”. As Artistic Director for concert:nova in Cincinnati, he designs experimental and participatory concert formats that engage audiences directly with musicians. He has also created and led events blending guided meditation with spontaneously created contemporary music, allowing participants to contribute to the creation of new art on the spot.
Bricker's chamber music achievements include guest artist performances at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival, the Literary Music Series, the Live Music Project, Juilliard’s FOCUS! Festival, and appearances with the International Contemporary Ensemble and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. He has curated concerts for fellows of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and taught a course on non-standard percussion notation and interpretation at DePaul University. His compositions have been featured in diverse settings, including a 2017 advertisement for TaylorMade-Adidas with Tiger Woods and a new evening-length participatory work with retired NFL player Soul Cole. Bricker has received awards from the Zildjian Company, the Aspen Music Festival, National Public Radio, and the Skokie Valley Symphony. He proudly plays with Dragonfly Percussion sticks and mallets.
Through his multifaceted roles as a performer, composer, arranger, educator, and creative leader, Joseph Bricker continues to empower others and expand the horizons of musical engagement and education.