Mike Brady

Masters of Music Candidate, Piano Performance

Mike Brady is a pianist and piano teacher with a bachelor’s in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin. He began his piano studies at the age of eight in Ellicott City, Maryland, with teacher Phyllis Jovich. In high school, Mr. Brady began more intensive piano studies with Dr. Michael Adcock, where he prepared for his collegiate musical career. During his senior year, he auditioned and was accepted into a masterclass with the legendary Leon Fleisher. 

Over the course of his undergraduate, Mr. Brady studied with Professor Gregory Allen and has had the opportunity to perform around the country and abroad. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, he performed at the Clear Creek Music Festival, a two-week intensive music training program in Halfway, Oregon. More recently, Mr. Brady was accepted into the prestigious 2019 summer piano intensive program at the Accademia Chigiana, in Siena, Italy. During his time in Italy, he studied with Professors Boris Berman and Carol Leone for three weeks and gave a public performance. He has also performed in masterclasses with Christopher Guzman, Boris Slutsky, and James Anagnoson during his time at UT Austin.

Mr. Brady was also an active teacher during his undergraduate years. He taught children piano as part of the UT Piano Project, directed by Professor Sophia Gilmson. In addition, he taught privately and as a substitute at the Orpheus Academy of Music.  

Mr. Brady has participated in a wide array of other musical activities outside of the classical piano realm. He has been involved with performances of popular and jazz music. In high school, he played keyboard with the marching band and other student groups, performing pop, funk, and other contemporary genres. At UT Austin, he took three semesters of jazz piano lessons with Professor Jeffrey Hellmer and Dr. Ross Margitza. In addition, he was accepted into the UT Jazz Combos program. 

Choir was another secondary musical area for Mr. Brady. During his senior year of high school, he was selected as a choir section leader and as a member of the Maryland All-State Choir. At UT Austin, he auditioned and was accepted into the University Chorus and Concert Chorale. Composition is yet another musical interest he has pursued. In 2013, he won third place in the Neva Greenwood Memorial Student Composition Competition, a competition for students in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.  

Mr. Brady is currently pursuing his master’s degree in piano performance at Texas State University, where he is studying with Dr. Jason Kwak. He hopes to continue to develop his skills in piano, teaching, and other areas of music to help his students develop their own love for music.