Biography
Sean A. Brown currently resides on Whidbey Island in western Washington as a freelance hornist, teacher and composer. He has an active studio of 35 students (and counting), and teaches and plays all brass instruments proficiently. He is the founder of the Harbor Brass Choir & Penn Cove Brass Ensemble, which are tuition-based student brass ensembles for middle-school & high-school musicians, respectively. He also is the founder of the Whidbey Island Horn Club, a volunteer group of hornists that play together and to perform for the community. In addition, Brown is an active performer when opportunities arise, as he is the principal hornist of the Saratoga Orchestra of Whidbey Island.
Brown is also an active composer and arranging. He arranges music for his own ensembles: the Harbor Brass, Penn Cove Brass and Whidbey Island Horn Club, and participates in composition contests. He has a number of original compositions for various ensembles, and is always working on new compositions.
Brown grew up on Whidbey Island. He began musical training at age 10 with enrollment in school band, beginning on tenor sax. At age 13 he decided he wanted to be an orchestral player, so he began playing clarinet, bass clarinet & oboe. He began playing horn at age 16, which became his primary instrument in months. He also joined the Fidalgo & Mt. Baker Youth Symphonies as principal horn. At age 17 he learned trombone, euphonium & tuba, and placed 3rd at Washington State's Solo & Ensemble contest on horn, after playing the instrument for a year and a half. He graduated from Coupeville High School in 2004 and began attending Central Washington University.
Brown received his Bachelor's Degree in Horn Performance from Central Washington University in 2010, studying horn with Jeff Snedeker, Wind Band with Larry Gookin, Orchestra with Nik Caoile, and Brass Pedagogy with Mark Babbitt. He played in the CWU Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Brass Choir, Peacock 5 Brass Quintet, and Horn Ensemble during his time there. He attended several workshops with the CWU horn studio, and played in masterclasses taught by William Purvis, Mark Robbins, Randy Gardiner, and Greg Roosa. He composed 14 works while at CWU, and 12 of them were performed. He was active as a performer outside of CWU, becoming principal horn of the Mid-Columbia Symphony in 2009, and subbing regularly for the Yakima Symphony and the Wenatchee Valley Symphony.
He received his Master's Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2014, studying horn with Greg Flint, Wind Band Conducting with John Climer, Orchestra with Jun Kim, and Chamber Music with Kevin Hartmann & Ted Soluri. Many of his exisiting compositions we performed while attending. He was active outside of the college, becoming the principal hornist of the The Festival City Symphony in 2014 (subbing since 2013), and frequently performing with the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra, including playing as their 2nd hornist for a tour of Italy in August of 2015. Brown has also played with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as a substitute.
In addition to being a free-lance musician, Brown is a stay-at-home father of his three young sons, Luke, Logan & Levi. His wife, Holly is the Elementary Music Teacher at Broad View Elementary in Oak Harbor, and is also a horn player.
Brown is also an active composer and arranging. He arranges music for his own ensembles: the Harbor Brass, Penn Cove Brass and Whidbey Island Horn Club, and participates in composition contests. He has a number of original compositions for various ensembles, and is always working on new compositions.
Brown grew up on Whidbey Island. He began musical training at age 10 with enrollment in school band, beginning on tenor sax. At age 13 he decided he wanted to be an orchestral player, so he began playing clarinet, bass clarinet & oboe. He began playing horn at age 16, which became his primary instrument in months. He also joined the Fidalgo & Mt. Baker Youth Symphonies as principal horn. At age 17 he learned trombone, euphonium & tuba, and placed 3rd at Washington State's Solo & Ensemble contest on horn, after playing the instrument for a year and a half. He graduated from Coupeville High School in 2004 and began attending Central Washington University.
Brown received his Bachelor's Degree in Horn Performance from Central Washington University in 2010, studying horn with Jeff Snedeker, Wind Band with Larry Gookin, Orchestra with Nik Caoile, and Brass Pedagogy with Mark Babbitt. He played in the CWU Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Brass Choir, Peacock 5 Brass Quintet, and Horn Ensemble during his time there. He attended several workshops with the CWU horn studio, and played in masterclasses taught by William Purvis, Mark Robbins, Randy Gardiner, and Greg Roosa. He composed 14 works while at CWU, and 12 of them were performed. He was active as a performer outside of CWU, becoming principal horn of the Mid-Columbia Symphony in 2009, and subbing regularly for the Yakima Symphony and the Wenatchee Valley Symphony.
He received his Master's Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2014, studying horn with Greg Flint, Wind Band Conducting with John Climer, Orchestra with Jun Kim, and Chamber Music with Kevin Hartmann & Ted Soluri. Many of his exisiting compositions we performed while attending. He was active outside of the college, becoming the principal hornist of the The Festival City Symphony in 2014 (subbing since 2013), and frequently performing with the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra, including playing as their 2nd hornist for a tour of Italy in August of 2015. Brown has also played with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as a substitute.
In addition to being a free-lance musician, Brown is a stay-at-home father of his three young sons, Luke, Logan & Levi. His wife, Holly is the Elementary Music Teacher at Broad View Elementary in Oak Harbor, and is also a horn player.
List of Works by Instrumentation
Clicking on a title will take you to its product page, which has a recording (if available)
Solo Pieces
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Hornist, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Hornist, Vol. 2
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Trumpeter, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Trumpeter, Vol. 2
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Trombonist, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Trombonist, Vol. 2
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Tubist, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for the Lonely Tubist, Vol. 2
Concertino for Tuba and Wind Band (Piano Reduction)
Concerto for Horn & Orchestra No. 1 "Reverence" (Piano Reduction)
Concerto for Horn & Orchestra No. 2 "Restoration" (Piano Reduction)
Brass Duets
Christmas Carols for Two Jolly Hornists, Vol. 1Store
Christmas Carols for Two Jolly Trumpeters, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for Two Jolly Trombonists, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for Two Jolly Tubists, Vol. 1
Brass Trios
Four Pieces for Euphonium, Tuba & Marimba
Incidental Music for 3 Seans No. 1 (0.1.1.1.0)
Incidental Music for 3 Seans No. 2 (0.1.1.1.0)
Horn Quartets
"Carol of the Bells" by Mykola Leontovich
"Eine Kleine Hornmusik" by W. A. Mozart
"Hymn, Op, 21" by Jean Sibelius
Trombone Quartets
Funeral March for Trombone Quartet
Three Sides, for Trombone Quartet
Brass Quartets
Christmas Carols for the Flexible Brass Quartet, Vol. 1
Christmas Carols for the Flexible Brass Quartet, Vol. 2
Christmas Carols for the Flexible Brass Quartet, Vol. 3
Excerpts from "Tannhäuser" by Richard Wagner (2.0.2.0 or 2.1.1.0)
Excerpts from "1812 Overture" by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (2.0.2.0 or 2.1.1.0)
"Hymn, Op. 21" by Jean Sibelius, Arr. for Brass Quartet (2.0.2.0 or 2.1.1.0)
Brass Quintet (2.1.1.1 instrumentation)
"Funeral March" by Edvard Grieg, Arr. for Brass Quintet
"Light Cavalry Overture" by Franz von Suppe, Arr. for Brass Quintet
Horn Ensembles (5+)
Adagio for 12 Horns
"All-Night Vigil (Vespers)" by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arr. for 8 Horns
"Ecce Sacerdos" by Anton Brucker, Arr. for 8 Horns
"Entry of the Gladiators" by Julius Fucik, Arr. for 8 Horns
"Jubilate Deo" by Michael Praetorius, Arr. for 12 Horns
"Os Justi" by Anton Bruckner, Arr. for 8 Horns
Overture for 8 Horns
"Tannhauser's Pilgrimage" by Richard Wagner, Arr. for 12 Horns
"Trösterin Musik" by Anton Bruckner, Arr. for 8 Horns
"6 Sextets for Horns, Op. 10" by Louis François Dauprat
Trombone Ensembles (5+)
Trombonage No. 1 in C Minor, for 12 Trombones
Trombonage No. 2 in Ab Major, for 12 Trombones
Trombonage No. 3 in F Minor, for 12 Trombones
Trombonage No. 4 in Bb Major, for 12 Trombones
Brass Ensembles (5+)
"Ave Maria" by Anton Bruckner (3.2.3.0)
"Canzona Per Sonare No 4" by Giovanni Gabrieli
"Entry of the Gladiators" by Julius Fucik (4.4.3.1.1)
Excerpts from "Egmont Overture" by Ludwig van Beethoven (3.2.3.1)
Excerpts from "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius (3.4.3.1)
Excerpts from Symphony No. 2, Mvt. 5 by Gustav Mahler (4.4.4.1)
Fanfare for Heroes (3.4.3.1+Timp)
Harbor Brass March No. 1 (3.0.2.0)
Harbor Brass March No. 2 (3.0.3.1)
"Homage March from Sigurd Jorsalfar" by Edvard Grieg (4.4.3.1.1+Perc.)
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg (3.1.3.1)
"Mars, the Bringer of War" by Gustav Holst (6.6.6.1.2)
McBones Fanfare (0.1.4.1)
"Nisi Dominus a 10" by Claudio Monteverdi, Arr. for Double Brass Quintets
"Sonata Pian' e Forte" by Giovanni Gabrieli (3.1.4.1)
Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven (4.0.4.0)
Chamber Winds
Serenade for Winds No. 1 in F Major
Wind Band
Concertino for Tuba & Wind Ensemble
Evergreen Fanfare, for Wind Band
Fantasy on Civil War Songs, for Wind Band
On We Go, for Wind Band
"Rienzi Overture" by Richard Wagner, Arr. for Wind Band
"Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 - No. 7 in C Minor" by Anotnin Dvorak, Arr. for Wind Band
Orchestra
Concerto for Horn & Orchestra No. 1 "Reverence"
Concerto for Horn & Orchestra No. 2 "Restoration"
High Flight, for Orchestra