Dr. Anna Bradford is a freelance oboist and music educator in the Chicago area, having relocated from Boston, Massachusetts in 2023. Hailed for her “confident and sensitive playing" (the Boston Musical Intelligencer), Dr. Bradford is equally at home performing as a chamber musician, an orchestral musician, and as a soloist.
Featured solo engagements include winning the Boston Woodwind Society Ralph Gomberg Oboe Competition in 2014, performing the Mozart Oboe Quartet with Symphony Nova in 2018, and performing a faculty recital of women composers at South Suburban College in 2024. Dr. Bradford also performs as the oboist with the Kalliope Reed Quintet, where she has performed on local stages throughout New England, on national stages at the International Double Reed Society, ClarinetFest, and Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium conferences, and on international stages on tour to Sinaloa, Mexico. As an orchestral musician, Dr. Bradford currently holds positions as 2nd oboe/English horn with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra in Maine and 3rd oboe/English horn with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra in Illinois, and also performs with the Milwaukee Ballet, the Danville Symphony Orchestra, and the Whiting Park Festival Orchestra. She previously held positions with the Cape Ann Symphony, Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova, and the Boston Civic Symphony in Massachusetts.
Dr. Bradford is also a passionate music educator, currently teaching oboe, music history, and music appreciation at South Suburban College. She also teaches oboe lessons and chamber music to private students of all ages and levels through her studios in Districts 219 and 228 and her own private studio, offering both in-person and Zoom lessons. She believes in a student-centered approach to learning, where students' goals and strengths guide curriculum and lesson structure.
Recordings:
Kalliope Reed Quintet YouTube page
Discography:
"Amaru," Kalliope Reed Quintet (available on all streaming platforms!)
