This story courtesy the Kingsport Times-News
By JESSICA FULLER
As a multi-instrumentalist, Johnson City native Andrew Brady is a man of many talents that have taken him across the country and the world.
But it was his love of playing the bassoon that carried him to the firstchair seat of one of the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the country.
Brady picked up his first instrument, a saxophone, for his middle school band class at Indian Trail Middle school. Throughout the years, Brady would try all sorts of instruments ranging from the flute to the tuba, but it was the bassoon that really caught his eye — and ears.
“I thought it looked cool, because I was at this band clinic in Kingsport,” he said, laughing. “I ended up loving (the bassoon).”
And his preference for the bassoon worked in favor with his career goals. Wanting a career in orchestra, Brady knew the saxophone wouldn’t carry him far, since few orchestral pieces have saxophone parts. After graduating from Science Hill in 2009, he moved across the country to study bassoon performance at Colburn in California.
His travels didn’t stop there, though. Immediately after graduating, he took a job playing for the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans. He’s been to Europe three times in the past two years and played at the Carnegie three times in the past year alone.
“As musicians, you never really get to choose where you’re going to live, so you have to go where the jobs are,” he said. “Of course I’m always grateful to come home, but I love to travel.”
When the job in Atlanta opened, Brady applied and went through a long process of auditions and trials before he was officially selected for the spot a few weeks ago and plans to make the move from New Orleans over the next few months.
Brady said he is happy with his new placement, and said he thinks that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will be a good place for him to grow as a musician for the next few years.
Not to mention, this new job will shave his drive time back to Johnson City by about six hours.
“I'm extremely happy that Atlanta worked out so I could see my family,” he said.
For his future, Brady said that he sees himself continuing his orchestral career over the next few years, spending more hours working offstage than onstage. In addition to several hours of practice a day, Brady said a lot of his time is spent making reeds for his bassoon.
“It’s not just going to rehearsal,” Brady said. “You have to be so prepared and maintain that high quality. It’s more hours of work than when people come in for an hour-and-a-half concert.”
But he wouldn’t have it any other way. Looking back, Brady remembers playing at Carnegie Hall with the Science Hill band. After playing on the same stage as a professional, he sees how far he’s come as a musician.
“It's been a surreal experience,” he said, adding, “It’s not really something I expected to happen.”
