Violin Faculty

Brendan Shea is a sought after soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. By the age of 11, he was performing with orchestras and had performed at Carnegie Hall. He continues to perform regularly with Orchestras and in recitals nationally and internationally, and has competed in many major international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Carl Nielsen, Sendai, Sibelius, Isang-Yun, and Seoul. His awards span three continents and include Bronze Medal at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Gold Medal and Audience Award at the Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition, Grand Prize at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and 1st place with Honors in the Glazunov International Competition in Paris.

Brendan has performed across the world in collaboration with many world class ensembles and as a soloist. He premiered Frederic Rzewski’s Night, Death, and Devil with the Emmy Award winning 8th Blackbird. As a founding member of the award winning Wasmuth Quartet(now Verona) he performed across the United States, Germany, and Japan. His solo career has taken him across the globe as well, with performances in major venues in Europe and Asia, and across North America. He is also present at prestigious festivals and residencies across the globe, including the peerless Encore Chamber Music Festival.

 In 2014 he partnered with his wife Yerin Kim to form the violin and piano Shea-Kim Duo, which has competed internationally and performed recitals in Asia, Europe and North America. Their performances have been broadcasted by Klara Continuo in Belgium, PBC in South Korea, and WUFT Classic in Florida. Their first CD was released by Ark Studio in Seoul, South Korea. Their first studio recording was released in the Fall of 2021 by Blue Griffin Record and the recording has garnered critical reviews as having “rock star fire” (Midwest Record) and “the deeply musical, expressive character and spiritual fusion of the Shea-Kim duo” (Classical Music Sentinel). Their latest recording, “All Roads Lead to Vienna”, is due for release October 2022. Brendan also served as the Concertmaster at the South Bend Symphony under Alastair Willis as Concertmaster from 2018 to 2021. He currently serves as the Concertmaster of Boise Philharmonic under music director and conductor, Eric Garcia. 

In addition to his performance career, Brendan is also a sought after violin teacher and chamber musician. He has taught at several prestigious summer festivals, including the Encore Chamber Music Festival and Credo Music Festival. He has been a guest faculty at Oberlin Conservatory, Visiting Professor of the Practice of Violin and Viola at the University of Notre Dame, and was on the faculty of Indiana University, South Bend. He currently is the Violin Professor and Langroise Trio Artist in Residence at the College of Idaho.