About Andrew

Hey! I'm Andrew. I am the founder and director of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, "the premier American ragtime ensemble" as hailed by the Washington Post. My primary instruments are piano, acoustic bass, and voice, although I have formal training on cello, clarinet, mallet percussion, and electric bass. I joined the Music & Arts family in October of 2015 at our Bowie, MD location, managed the Timonium, MD store for 11 months, managed our Severna Park store for 14 months, managed our Ellicot City location for 16 months, and have now returned to my hometown music store, Severna Park (again!) I am excited to help you with whatever musical journeys you go on!

My musical training started at a very early age, as my mother propped me at the keyboard to start plunking out notes on piano. I started formal classical training at age four, and continued lessons until entering college. In elementary school I began playing the cello, string bass, and clarinet, which I continued through high school. I also began receiving vocal coaching. While in high school I joined my school's marching band, performing in their pit on the auxilary percussion equipment.

When I entered the University of Maryland, I performed in their Repertoire Orchestra and founded PRSO. Peacherine is now eight years old and is nationally recognized as the leading professional touring Ragtime Orchestra in the United States. We do national touring at performing arts centers, historic theaters, colleges, universities, and concert associations. Highlights include performing on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in 2014 and 2015, the Library of Congress in 2015, and guest conducting the South Dakota Symphony Chamber Orchestra for a series of Charlie Chaplin shorts in 2013. I own one of the largest private collections of orchestrated ragtime, theater, dance, and silent film accompaniment music in the United States. I also travel the country as a ragtime pianist, and give lectures at colleges, universities, and ragtime festivals.

My favorite musical styles are classical, ragtime, and early 1920s-1930s-1940s jazz, although I listen to all kinds of music. I look forward to helping you with your musical interests here at Music & Arts!