Director, Choral Activities/Assistant Professor
Music, Dept of
Covington Center for VPA 107
Box 6890
Focus and Philosophy: I believe that music provides a unique opportunity to practice living without the risk of dying. It teaches us to be comfortable with ambiguity, make meaning from abstract clues, and overcome immense challenges. When (not if) we make mistakes, we learn and become better musicians, and thankfully, nobody dies. This frees us to take big swings, sing to the rafters, and enjoy the practice of creation. If we do our job well, we change lives and become better humans in the process. Few experiences offer a better risk to reward ratio.
This is the philosophy I bring to both rehearsals and classrooms. As a choir director, I thrive on curiosity, asking students to synthesize everything they know about music (history, theory, technique, and more) with their life experiences and studies in other fields. My ensembles sing the widest possible variety of repertoire, frequently juxtaposing disparate musical styles to challenge expectations and inspire conversation. Life is infinitely complex, and art should be likewise. This breadth of exposure prepares students to face the challenges of an increasingly complex, interconnected, and changing world, whether they pursue music or another field as a career.
Background: My background is built on successes and setbacks. I first discovered my love for music as a toddler treating the back of a church pew like a piano. A few years later, I started piano lessons after months of begging my parents. Though I nearly quit music in middle school, I earned a piano scholarship to the University of Tennessee. It was there that I discovered the transformative power of choral music and attempted to change my major to music education. However, due to my lack of vocal training at the time, I was denied entry. Instead, I persevered as a composition major and found an alternate path to music education. I have since had a successful career writing music for choirs around the world and leading my own ensembles from 4th graders to senior citizens across musical theatre, opera, symphonic, professional, school, community, and church settings. My most cherished experiences have been with collaborative choirs who engage in democratic music-making based on the model of New York's C4. These include Triad in Boston, and Infinitus and Fathom in Jacksonville.
Teaching: As a teacher, I believe in providing frequent opportunities for students to practice their craft. The best way to learn how to teach is by doing it. I want future music educators to be in front of ensembles throughout their time at Radford, in both rehearsal and performance settings. Through both successes and mistakes, conductors hone their skills, so that their internships can focus more on classroom management. I plan to develop student leadership further by sponsoring the student chapter of ACDA and supporting undergraduate research.
Research/Scholarship/Creative Work: Outside the classroom, I am an active, published composer whose works bring together historically opposed ideas. One of my favorite examples is A Parable of Choices, which pairs the anti-war poet Wilfred Owen with the Genesis story of Abraham and Isaac, giving each a unique sonic world and daring the audience to choose the outcome. I have won awards and commissions from The American Choral Directors Association, The American Prize, Project : Encore, The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, The Florida Vocal Association, Huntsville Community Chorus, and Jacksonville University, among others. I am particularly proud of my most recent work, Fire Flowers, which has enjoyed performances in Florida, Ohio, and Italy (so far).
For more information about Julian Bryson, DMA, please open the tabs below. If you would like a digital copy of his complete CV, please contact him at jdbryson@radford.edu.
University of Kentucky (2015)
Doctor of Musical Arts, Choral Conducting
University of Tennessee Knoxville (2004)
Master of Music, Choral Conducting
University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2002)
Bachelor of Music, Composition
MUSC 214: Ear Training and Sight Singing III
MUSC 215: Ear Training and Sight Singing IV
MUSC 311: Chorus
MUSC 312: Chorale
MUSC 357: Vocal Pedagogy
MUSE 355: Choral Conducting
MUSE 344: Teaching Choral Music
MUSE 358: Choral Literature
MUSC 456: Radford Singers
MUSC 556: Radford Singers (Graduate)
MUSC 654: Advanced Conducting Techniques
Alabama Gal (Unison Choir or 2-part Flexible Voicing with Piano), Premiered by Randolph School 4th and 5th Grade General Music Classes (2006), Published by the Indianapolis Children’s Chorus Publishing House (2026)
Clarion Call (TTBB with Concert Band or Piano), Commissioned and Premiered by the Florida All-State Men's Chorus and Concert Band (2015)
e pluribus unum (Hope Like Gold) (SSAATTBB a cappella), 2018 Walter Hussey Composition Competition Semi-Finalist; Art Ventures Grant from the Community Foundation for NE Florida (2023); Finalist for The American Prize in Professional Choral Composition (2025); Added to the Project:Encore Catalog (2024)
The Field (ubi caritas) (SATB choir, string trio, percussion, and piano), Commissioned by the San Jacinto College Choir, Patrick J. J. Callaghan, Director (2019); Third Place, the American Prize, Major Choral Works (2019-2020); Added to the Project : Encore Catalog (2020)
Fire-Flowers (SATB, SSAA, TTBB, 2-pt Treble, 2-pt Mixed, 2-pt TeBa, Middle School Mixed with Piano), Odes of Love Consortium (2026); Added to the Project:Encore Catalog (2026)
Justify This Day (SATB a cappella), Commissioned to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Linda Berry Stein college of Fine Arts and Humanities at Jacksonville University (2022); Premiered by the Jacksonville University Singers (2023)
The Lover’s Crown (SATB a cappella), Finalist for The American Prize in Professional Choral Composition (2025); Added to the Project : Encore Catalog (2024); Art Ventures Grant from the Community Foundation for NE Florida (2023); Commissioned by the Voices of Jacksonville (2022); Published by EC Schirmer
A Parable of Choices (SATB a cappella), Winner of the Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition (2017); Finalist for the American Prize (2018-2019)
Redemption Mass (SATB w/div, Piano, Strings or Winds, and Percussion Ensemble), Winner of the American Choral Directors Association Brock Memorial Student Composition Competition; Premiered in part by University of Louisville Cardinal Singers, ACDA National Conference (2013)
A Riddle (SACB or T(C)TB Choir with Piano), Premiered by Lavilla School of the Arts Chamber Singers (2023); Added to the Project:Encore Catalog (2023)
Shiloh (SATB, SSAA, TTBB, or SAB with Piano), Commissioned and Premiered by The Voices of Jacksonville; Added to the Project:Encore Catalog (2025); Published by EC Schirmer
Spring Triptych (SATB and piano), Movement II Won the MSUM Dragon Prize; Movement III Commissioned by the Huntsville Community Chorus Association
Fire-Flowers, Odes to Love Consortium (2025)
Shiloh, The Voices of Jacksonville (2024)
The Lover’s Crown, The Voices of Jacksonville (2022)
The Field (ubi caritas), San Jacinto College Choir (2019)
Stars Beyond, Hazel Green United Methodist Church (2018)
All Things New, Nicholas Nickl (2016)
Clarion Call, Florida Vocal and Bandmasters’ Associations All-State Men’s Chorus and Concert Band (2015)
...with music..., Youth Performing Arts School of Louisville Gentlemen’s Ensemble (2014)
Minstrel Boy, University of Kentucky Men’s Chorus (2013)
What’s Your Soundtrack? Singing Cluster of Catanzaro, Italy Masterclass (2026)
The Sound of Authenticity: Connecting Through Timbre, Singing Cluster of Catanzaro, Italy Masterclass (2026) and Florida ACDA Fall Conference (2025)
Professional and Workplace Writing for Choral Musicians, Baylor University (2023-2025, Annually)
Inspiring Empathy Through the Avant-Garde, Florida ACDA Fall Conference (2024), Florida Alliance for Arts Education (2023), Duval County Choir Directors Fall Workshop (2021)
Crossing Over: Notes from the Piano Bench, Florida Music Educators Association Conference (2024)
Cultivating Empathy Through the Avant-Garde (Poster), National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference (2023)
E Pluribus Infinitus: Choral Collectives in Educational Settings (Ensemble Demonstration), Florida Music Educators Association Conference (2023)
Farm-to-Table Choirs: Connecting with Composers via the Independent Digital Publishing Landscape, Florida Music Educators Association (2022), Duval County Choir Directors Fall Workshop (2021)
The Best Music You’ve Never Heard: Independent and Digital Publishers Reading Session, Massachusetts ACDA Summer Conference (2019)
Less Is More: Actions Speak Louder Than Words, Rhode Island ACDA Spring Workshop (2018)
Crowdsourcing Choir: Increasing Retention, Commitment, and Participation with the Collective Model, Massachusetts ACDA Summer Conference (2017)
Alabama Gal, Breckenhorst Press, Inc.
The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective: An Ongoing Experiment in Musical Self-Governance, University of Kentucky, 2016
The Lover’s Crown, ECS Publishing Group
Shiloh, ECS Publishing Group