Professional musician, educator, and conductor, Ashley Hagadorn-Brien is a Florida native who holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and a Certificate in Viola Performance from Florida State University. She has studied with string and orchestra pedagogues such as Dr. Pamela Ryan, Mr. Thomas Moore, Mr. Don Hicks, international conductor Dr. Alexander Jimenez, Dr. David Pope, and Dr. James Mick. Mrs. Hagadorn-Brien was a certified educator in Florida for 10 years, having taught both middle and high school orchestras. She was the inaugural director of Intermezzo Strings for the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras from 2013-2022. Her school orchestras and students have received numerous awards, high honors, and scholarships under her tutelage.
An avid performer, Mrs. Hagadorn-Brien owns Siren Strings TX, an event music business performing for weddings and special events in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, is currently the principal violist of the SMART Orchestra in San Marcos, performs with several other orchestras in central Texas, and is the fiddler for Gunpowder Soup, a cover band based in San Antonio. She was formally the principal violist for the North-West Florida Ballet and Panama City Symphony, has played in many orchestras throughout Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Broward Center for Performing Arts.