Bio
Dr. Justin Drew is Lecturer of Horn at the University of Maryland School of Music where he teaches undergraduate horn lessons, and serves as the director of the University of Maryland Brass Ensemble and Horn Choir. A busy freelance performer, Dr. Drew serves as the solo horn for Arena Stage, Third Horn of the National Philharmonic, Principal Horn of the Gourmet Symphony, Second Horn of the Apollo Orchestra, and appears frequently with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. He currently is faculty for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, Potomac Valley Youth Orchestras, and the Washington Brass Institute Summer Boot Camp.
Dr. Drew’s freelance career takes him up and down the East Coast. He has appeared with the National Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Reading Symphony, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Boca Sinfonia, Palm Beach Symphony and Southwest Florida Symphony, among others. He has gone 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.
Dr. Drew also has extensive experience performing with Chamber Music groups. He has recently performed with Barclay Brass, one of DC’s up-and-coming brass ensembles. From 2012 to 2018, he regularly toured across the U.S. with the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass. In July 2015, he served as the hornist for a brass quintet residency held at the University of Maine. He has also performed with Boston Brass, Carolina Brass, and he has joined many quintets with premiere military musicians in the DC area. In 2007, he performed with the legendary late oboist Ray Still and musicians of the “President’s Own” Marine Band in a performance of Mozart’s Piano Quintet in Eb. He has also appeared in chamber performances on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and at the Strathmore Mansion.
Dr. Drew can be heard on four albums. His first solo album, The Corno D’amore, was released in February 2021 under the Tonsehen label. In March 2016, he recorded the album Journeys with the United States Air Force Band. In January 2014, he joined the Grammy-nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra to record their second album, American Aggregate on the label Sono Luminus. As a result of being a finalist with the West Point Band in 2012, he performed as 4th horn on their first recording project in HD surround sound under the multi Grammy Award-winning label Reference Recordings.
Dr. Drew is a dedicated teacher with over 17 years of experience. In addition to his duties at the University of Maryland College Park, he has an advanced private teaching studio based in Potomac, MD. His students have often participated in Maryland Allstate Ensembles, the NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles, and summer festivals such as Brevard, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Philadelphia International Music Festival, and the National Youth Orchestra of the Unites States of America. Prior to joining the faculty at UMD, he served as adjunct faculty for University of Maryland Baltimore County for five years. He also taught at the Bullis School and for DC Youth Orchestra sectionals. For 11 summers, Dr. Drew served as Horn Instructor and Brass Choir Director for his childhood music camp, the University of Maine Summer Youth Music Camp, where he performed numerous solo recitals. 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.
A native of Scarborough, ME, Dr. Drew grew up in a family influenced by music. He began his musical studies on the trumpet, and performed at the Annual Key Bank Jazz Festival with notables such as Dave Brubeck, Cleo Laine and Wynton Marsalis. Although jazz trumpet was a passion of his, Dr. Drew decided to make French Horn his focus mid-way through completing a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Maine. While in school, Dr. Drew participated in the National Orchestral Institute and the Las Vegas Music Festival. Dr. Drew received his Master’s in Music Performance in 2007 and his D.M.A. in Music Performance in 2019 from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Drew lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Katie, and their dog, Sophie.
