Dr. Andrew Harms holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a concentration in German Studies, a Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, and a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in English Literature and Composition from Missouri State University. Andrew also completed performances studies at the University of Miami. Andrew’s most influential teachers include David Bilger, Anthony Plog, Micah Wilkinson, Dr. Don Greene, Philip Collins, Alan Siebert, Keith Benjamin, and Grant Peters.
Andrew is equally comfortable as a performer, teacher, and researcher. He has recently appeared with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the East Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, and others. He has recently appeared as a featured soloist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Brookline Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Brass Band. He has been recognized by several national and international conferences, competitions, and organizations, including the International Trumpet Guild, National Trumpet Competition, the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, the Naftzger Young Artist Competition, the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the U.S. Fulbright Student Program. In the realm of New Music, Andrew has been involved in the commissioning and premier of over a dozen works, including Contraptions by John Cheetham, Zelik by Annika Socolofsky, and Anticitizen One by Paul Poston, and has performed with several of Boston’s top new music ensembles, including Sound Icon. Andrew has toured as a soloist across the U.S. and Europe. Andrew also serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Brass Band, as well as the North American Brass Band Association.
Andrew is an active educator, teaching students and presenting classes across the U.S. Andrew has served on the faculties at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, New England Music Camp, and Appel Farm Fine Arts Center. During the pandemic lockdowns, Andrew fundraised for and presented classes focused on bolstering enrollment and participation in music classes, encouraging daily practice, and exercising performances skills. Andrew administers “Dave’s Dojo,” a social media community of professional musicians coached by David Bilger, Principal Trumpet in the Philadelphia Orchestra.
As a researcher, Andrew has published on entrepreneurship, film music, and brass pedagogy. Andrew has presented extensively on the trumpet’s role in Leni Riefenstahl’s films and their influence on the trumpet music of the period, such as Paul Hindemith and Karl Pilß. In 2020, Andrew published an analysis program that logs daily practice statistics, then presents correlations between practice habits and performance. In 2020, Andrew consulted on a machine vision project to detect and correct maladaptive brass playing habits such as posture and facial/embouchure movement. Andrew has most recently published on the principals of sound production and embouchure development. Additionally, Andrew has conducted research on the veracity of Torelli’s famous concerto and has performed many of the composer’s works with string ensemble.