Our Musicians

The musicians of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra bring the beauty of music to life- whether it is in Belding Theater at a Masterworks concert, in schools and in the community, or at the Talcott Mountain Music Festival. Each musician is dedicated to their craft and is continually providing exceptional performances. Here, you will get to know some of the musicians who make up this incredible orchestra!

Meet Jarrod Briley

A native of Beaufort, North Carolina, Jarrod Briley began as a trumpet player at age 11 and switched to the tuba at age 15. Jarrod attended East Carolina University, earning a B.M. in Music Performance in 2018. He then attended Bard College for an Artist Diploma before joining The Orchestra Now, an orchestral training master’s program at Bard College, earning a M.M. in Critical, Curatorial, and Performance Studies. Along with the Hartford Symphony, Jarrod is principal tuba for the Cape Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Metro Opera, and has performed broadly across New England with groups such as the New Jersey Symphony, Albany Symphony, New Haven Symphony, and others.

Position

Principal Tuba

Started with the HSO

2022

Fun Facts!

Get to know Jarrod outside of the concert hall!

Jarrod is an avid hiker and is a member of the Catskill 3500 club, an exclusive group for hikers that have peaked all 35 mountains in the Catskill range over 3500 feet. He completed the challenge in just a year.

Jarrod’s wife, Mackenzie, is also a musician! She is a clarinetist in the United States Coast Guard Band and is also principal clarinet of Symphony New Hampshire. Together they live in New London, Connecticut with their dog Poppy.

Jarrod’s family are descendants of a Vikings, most notably King Harald Bluetooth. The company that created Bluetooth technology named it after him, since he united tribes in Denmark into a single kingdom. The Bluetooth logo is a combination of runes representing his initials.

Favorite HSO Memory

When asked what his favorite HSO memory was, Jarrod said:

“It’s hard to pick just one. Even in my short time with the HSO I’ve had so many incredible experiences. My favorite though probably has to be performing with the HSO Brass Quintet as the featured soloists on our season opening concert back in September. It was such a unique experience and my first time being in front of the orchestra instead of at the back!“

This season, I am looking forward to…

“What I’m most looking forward to this season is definitely the Final Fantasy concert in March*. I love video games and think that the world of video game music is so under-appreciated in the classical music world. There are some video game composers whose writing I would put up there with any of the great classics. I know it’s going to be an amazing show with hopefully lots of good tuba writing.”

*Learn more about Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY featuring the HSO on March, 23.