Sean Bailey | musician
Sean Bailey, Ph.D. enjoys an active, interdisciplinary musical life in the Philadelphia area, engaging with the field of musical creativity in ever-evolving contexts: including roles as an audio engineer, composer, educator, performer, and technologist—making music at the intersection of technology and the creative spirit.
In the Ivory Tower | Academic | Composer
Sean holds a Ph.D. in Music Studies from Temple University (2025), with a dissertation (GENERIC: Musical Improvisation with Machine Learning and Generative Composition) exploring the nexus of human and artificial intelligence—both in theory and praxis through the lens of musical composition.
I maintain several university teaching posts in which I create and deliver classes operating within various musical domains, including: audio recording arts, creative music technology, entrepreneurship, music production, music studies, and instrumental pedagogy and performance. I have published numerous recordings as an audio engineer, and in 2021 I was awarded a grant through the Rutgers University Library System to author a free, open-source textbook on arts entrepreneurship.
As a composer-performer-scholar, I have presented papers, compositions, and performances at international conferences including Audio Engineering Society [Europe] (AES-Europe), Music and the Moving Image (MAMI), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), PDMaxCon25~, and the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS).
On the Ground | Performer
Multi-instrumentalist Sean Bailey has performed and/or recorded alongside a spectrum of notable artists and institutions. As an ensemble player, highlights include the Philadelphia Ballet Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philly Pops, the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia; as a jazz soloist with greats including Randy Brecker, Jimmy Heath, Christian McBride, and Terell Stafford; and, as a first call woodwind doubler, local performances of national tours for superstar acts including The Who, Hugh Jackman, Andrea Bocelli, and shows including "Into the Woods," "Some Like it Hot," and "Wicked," among many others. An avid chamber musician, Sean is a member of, or collaborator with, new music ensembles including the Bowerbird Arcana ensemble, Network for New Music, Orchestra 2001, Relâche, and Revolution Winds. As a session musician and contributing creative improviser, Sean has recorded for commercials and film scores for studios including Google, Hilton, Legendary Pictures, and Signature Films. Sean's numerous recording credits encompass a range of styles, collaborations, and musical aesthetics.
In The Studio | Engineer | Creative Technologist
I have taught courses on audio recording, audio editing, computer music, and advanced production for the Music Technology program at Temple University since 2017; I teach for the Sound Recording and Music Technology (SRMT) program at the Community College of Philadelphia, in addition to serving on the SRMT program's advisory committee; I have designed and delivered music technology courses at Saint Joseph's University since Spring 2026; and, I work in the music technology program at West Chester University, including coursework on music entrepreneurship and film scoring.
In addition to teaching in the academic setting, I relish the chance to collaborate with fellow artists on musical and intermodal projects.