Performer Biography

Steven Brija

Originally from Lemont, Illinois Steven Brija, double bass, received a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music in the studio of Scott Dixon. During his graduate studies, he also participated in DC Bass and Domaine Forget summer festivals. Before moving to Cleveland, Steven studied Music Education at Belmont University, and received a Bachelor of Music, where he studied double bass with studio musician Craig Nelson. Additionally, he has studied privately under Charles Paul, Tracy Rowell, and Kevin Jablonski, and learned Baroque performance practice and chamber music with Jaap ter Linden. Steven has played with numerous ensembles around Northeast Ohio including the Firelands Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Baldwin Wallace Opera, and the Youngstown State University Faculty Chamber Ensemble. In 2022, Steven was a member of The Orchestra Now, a fellowship orchestra based out of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. He also appeared on the soundtracks to video games Anthem and Destiny 2, and movie The Professor and the Madman, both recorded at Oceanway Studios in Nashville, TN. This fall, Steven will be recording for 22 Groove Studies for String Orchestra by electric violinist, composer and producer Tracy Silverman, which will be released by the end of 2023.