First Violin
Brendan Shea is an active chamber musician, soloist and educator who joined the Seattle Symphony in the 2026/2027 season. His awards include gold medals at the Coleman and Chesapeake competitions, top prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, and first place with honors at the Glazunov International Competition in Paris. He is a laureate of many of the world's premier international competitions, including the Carl Nielsen, Sendai, Sibelius, Seoul, Isang-Yun and Queen Elisabeth.
Shea is a former member of the Langroise Trio, Euclid Quartet and Verona Quartet. He currently performs across North America, Europe and Asia in the Shea-Kim Duo alongside pianist Yerin Kim. The duo has released four critically acclaimed albums, with a fifth due this fall. Additionally, both musicians are voting members of the Recording Academy.
Shae holds two degrees from Oberlin, a master's degree from Indiana University and a D.M.A. from Stony Brook University. He previously served on the faculty at Indiana University South Bend, the University of Notre Dame, the College of Idaho and Central Washington University, and was guest faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory. During the summer, he performs and teaches at the Encore Chamber Music Institute, the Chroma International Music Festival in Hungary and the Zephyr International Chamber Festival and Academy in Italy.
Shae loves to travel and explore new foods, having grown up overseas in many different parts of the world. He loves living in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, their two children, a cat and a bunch of plants that somehow survive.
