bio

Andrew Worden is a composer and percussionist whose music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, and La Scala Paris — and in 15+ countries across North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Drew's compositions for percussion have been commissioned and performed by the Paris Percussion Group, the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion, and Virginia Tech, among others. His percussion music is performed regularly at universities worldwide.

Beyond the concert hall, Drew has composed for film and media — including the score for Spiritus, a documentary that was a finalist for the Student Academy Awards, and original music for Yum and Yuk, a children’s Halloween book. His work spans concert music, film, and media, making him a natural fit for creative collaborations.

As a producer and performer, Drew has worked on both sides of the booth for classical and rock projects in the US, Canada, and Ireland. He is co-founder of The Big Trouble, an indie/rock percussion and songwriting collective alongside composer Ivan Trevino.

As an educator, Drew has led workshops and residencies at the Maryland Institute College of Art, COJAC with the Monterey Jazz Festival and El Sistema, and conservatories and universities across the US. In 1,100+ coaching sessions, he's helped musicians negotiate fair salaries, release original work, and build sustainable creative careers.

A former Assistant Dean of Entrepreneurship at the New England Conservatory, Andrew helped creatives win more than $500k in funding — with artist-led projects going on to be featured by the Boston Globe, WBUR, and USA Today. He continues this work in technology commercialization and startup support, previously at UT Austin and currently at the University of Oregon.

Andrew earned the Master of Music and Certificate in Arts Leadership from the Eastman School of Music, and the Bachelor of Music from Northern Arizona University. He lives in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and rescue pup Max.

"Their plan was simple: to make classical music a blast. And it worked." — 585 Magazine

"…the most amazing piece I've seen thus far at Fringe…for 60 minutes I found myself enraptured in a brilliantly crafted world of beauty, melody, and calmness." — CITY Magazine