Violin with Drew Y.

Hi there, my name is Drew and I am a teacher, concertmaster, and music curator who is absolutely crazy about the violin! I have played for almost 26 years now, and began teaching in 2010 when I finished my undergraduate degree. To get all the formal stuff out of the way for those who care: I am a graduate of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (MM’15), and Bard College where I completed The Orchestra Now (TON) fellowship program-with a focus on curatorial arts in music. As a member of the rotating concertmaster pool at TON, I have had the privilege to lead a world class orchestra in some of the most important concert halls in New York, as well as record for the Decca and EMI labels. Since completing this program in 2019, I have continued to perform with TON regularly as a resident guest artist. Other ensembles that I frequently work with are Spectrum Symphony, The Bardian Ensemble, and the Strathmere Ensemble. All that official business aside-violin is my single greatest passion in life. I am comfortable saying to the internet, that I have an infectious enthusiasm for what I do and that is probably the single greatest tool I have to offer in these strange times. We are all suffering through a collective trauma with COVID-19 and the ways that this year has changed each of our lives-probably forever. It is a great pleasure for me to share this enthusiasm with all who are interested... and since my performing career is currently on hold-spending more time teaching has been an absolute privilege for me. What I offer, in vague terms: 1: a fundamental technique which will work for your body-I don’t believe in making everyone hold the instrument or move exactly like the same (cookie cutter philosophy is outdated) 2: an engaging course of repertoire which we will decide together-Disney tunes and movie music in general is a heavy favorite among my younger students-and I really enjoy playing them. 3: a solutions oriented mentor, who does not believe in “speaking down” or worse-speaking in riddles because there are complex ideas in play. I will save the rest, so perhaps I will get some questions from interested readers. Please do reach out to chat, and I hope to see you soon! -D