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 dozens of world premieres from first-time composers and created multiple spontaneous audience composed works, with numerous collaborations to bring the creativity of students into the professional arts scene, including a new work written by 300+ students in Cincinnati and Columbus now studied by 120,000+ students nationwide, and new choreography by the Cincinnati Ballet to the music of student compositions.
As a Morse Teaching Artist Fellow in 2017, Bricker co-created a new band program for New York Public School #191. From 2020-22, he 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 for all ages. 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 served on the percussion faculty at Northern Kentucky University from 2022-26.
An advocate for new and contemporary music, Bricker in 2026 was appointed by Cristian Măcelaru to the percussion section of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He has collaborated with composers such as Steve Reich, Tyshawn Sorey, Kevin Day, Vivian Fung, Olga Neuwirth, Sarah Hennies and numerous others on several premieres and recordings, including the 2021 production of a new sound film for Elizabeth A. Baker’s work “meditation for water, wind, and metal”. Since 2023, he has regularly presented pre-concert lectures, essays, and events for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on engaging with contemporary music in a bespoke series of concerts called “Fresh Ears”, including recent lectures on the music of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Daniel Bjarnason, Anna Clyne, Wang Lu, and several others. As Artistic Director (2023-25) and Artistic Advisor (2025-) for concertnova in Cincinnati, he designs experimental and participatory concert formats that engage audiences directly with musicians, including 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 Winstead Chamber Music Series, the Live Music Project, Juilliard’s FOCUS! Festival, and appearances with the International Contemporary Ensemble and members of the Berlin Philharmonic. 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.
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joe [dot] bricker [at] gmail [dot] com