Bruce C. Briney
Music Director and Conductor
Bruce Briney leads a musical life as a conductor, performer and teacher. He is a recently retired Professor of Music at Western Illinois University. Briney taught applied trumpet, conducting, brass methods and brass chamber music with ensemble conducting assignments in Symphony Orchestra and Opera. He received the College of Fine Arts and Communication’s Outstanding Teaching Award and had students who were winners or finalists in the MTNA, International Trumpet Guild and National Trumpet Competitions as well as WIU’s Concerto Competition. Briney contributed to Mark Dulin’s Cichowicz Flow Studies, Vol. 1-2.
Dr. Briney was selected as Music Director & Conductor of the Quincy Symphony Orchestra in 2008. In 2013, he was recognized as the Illinois Council of Orchestra’s Conductor of the Year and in 2020, the QSO was awarded Community Orchestra of the Year. He began an annual commissioning project that produced 10 new orchestral pieces from composers around the country. He studied conducting with John Paynter and Victor Yampolsky.
As a trumpet performer, Briney was a member of the Quad Cities Symphony, the Peninsula Music Festival, the Illinois Philharmonic, the Illinois Symphony and the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. He is a devoted brass chamber musician and was the Music Director of the Millar Brass Ensemble (1984-1993). They produced recordings for the Crystal, Koss, and Premier labels featuring standard and new works. The MBE performed at conventions of the Midwest International Band & Orchestra, the International Trumpet Guild, the Texas Music Educators as well as the Trombone Workshop and the New York Brass Conference.
Collaborations with composer James Stephenson involved premiering and recording his two homage pieces to Igor Stavinsky. “The Devil’s Tale” and “Octet” were released on the Parma and Klavier labels. Briney recently premiered “Miracle Fair,” a solo trumpet and wind ensemble piece by WIU colleague John Mindeman.
Dr. Briney received his musical education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University where he earned Masters and Doctorate degrees in Performance. He was a student of David Hickman and Vincent Cichowicz with additional studies from Arnold Jacobs, Ray Mase, Ray Sasaki and George Vosburgh.
Dr. Briney resides in Macomb where he and wife Robin keep close track of their golden retrievers Addison and Ivy. When in Quincy, Dr. Briney’s accommodations are provided by the Quality Inn & Suites and the Atrium Hotel on Third.
