Dr. Denia G. Bradshaw, Flutist, Educator, Advocate Flutist from Long Beach, CA

Dr. Denia Guadalupe Bradshaw is a professional flutist and instructor in Southern California. She has performed and recorded with various artists live and at studio sessions. Having studied and played the flute for over 24 years, Dr. Bradshaw cares deeply about music education and the musical experience as an artist herself, but recognize the positive-impact music and the performing arts have on audiences and the community. Her music experience led her to finding belonging in education, and that sense of community also led her to opportunity and possibility, among those in secondary school experience include, being a Hall of Fame and a national John Phillip Sousa Band award recipient to playing with Sir James Galway, performing in an wind ensemble honor group that toured in seven European countries, and side-by-side orchestra concerts with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In college, she received multiple scholarships and awards due to her dedication, work ethic, and pursuit to excellence. She holds three degrees in music, those are; an Associates of Arts in Music from Long Beach City College (LBCC), a Bachelor of Music from California State University Northridge (CSUN), and a Master of Music from CSUN. Among the enriching experiences during that time included; playing alongside artists such as Monica Mancini and Arturo Sandoval; and doing studio work and recordings at multiple venues such as Capitol Records. After the completion of her Masters, she would go on to performing for president Jimmy Carter, performing with Sarah Jackson at the National Flute Association (NFA), becoming the the Winds Chair for the East San Fernando Valley branch for the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC); perform as a soloist with the Beverly Hills International Music Festival Orchestra and later with her Master teacher, David Shostac, in the Song of Angels and Flutesonic Orchestra, which includes recording in one of those groups as a soloist on the John Williams Scoring Stage; and lastly, to currently holding a position with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra as second chair flute and as the flautist in the Xicano Winds quintet, a woodwind quintet dedicated to social justice by showcasing Latinx musicians in the community. She received her doctorate in education and did research on music education and challenges music majors face in higher education. This remains a research topic that she values immensely, including the trajectory of musicians in places of leadership.