Collection: Justin Drew
Equally at home as a performer and teacher, Dr. Justin Drew has made his mark in the greater Washington DC area. A busy freelance performer, Justin serves as the Solo Horn for Arena Stage, Third Horn of the National Philharmonic, Second Horn of the Apollo Orchestra, and appears frequently with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. He currently is Lecturer of Horn at the University of Maryland School of Music, holds a private studio based in Potomac, MD, and is faculty for Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, Potomac Valley Youth Orchestras, and the Washington Brass Institute Summer Boot Camp. He previously served as an instructor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the University of Maine Summer Youth Music Camp.
Justin’s freelance career often takes him up and down the East Coast. He has appeared with the National Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Reading Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Boca Sinfonia, Palm Beach Symphony, and Southwest Florida Symphony, among others. He has traveled on two national tours with the United States Air Force Band, in addition to performances with them in the DC-area. His opera orchestra engagements include performances with the North Carolina Opera, Washington Concert Opera, Opera Camerata of Washington, Palm Beach Opera, and Florida Grand Opera. Justin also has extensive experience performing with Chamber Music groups, including Barclay Brass, the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, Boston Brass, Carolina Brass, and quintets with premiere military musicians in the DC area.
A native of Scarborough, ME, Justin grew up in a family influenced by music, and began his musical studies on the trumpet. Although jazz trumpet was a passion of his, Justin decided to make French Horn his focus mid-way through completing a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Maine. He then earned a Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Maryland in 2007, and a D.M.A. in Music Performance from the University of Maryland in 2019. His principal teachers include Gregory Miller, Denise Tryon, Suzanne Gonsalves, and Wanda Whitener. He has also been highly influenced by studies with William VerMeulen, James Ross, Eric Ruske, and Phil Munds.
In addition to his debut solo album, Justin can be heard on Journeys with the United States Air Force Band and American Aggregate with the Inscape Chamber Orchestra.