About

Percussionist Andrew Riley has performed an extensive amount of orchestral and chamber music with a variety of ensembles across the U.S., as well as performing and educating in the field of the concert and marching percussive arts. Dr. Riley currently holds a position as the Instructor of Percussion at Indiana State University, where he directs the Percussion Ensemble and the ISU Steel Band, as well as teaches privately, instructs several courses, and performs regularly with the outstanding faculty of ISU. Dr. Riley also serves as Percussion Specialist for the Center Grove School District in Greenwood, Indiana. His duties with Center Grove include: private percussion instructor for all students, classroom instructor at Middle School North, and coordinator of the Front Ensemble for the BOA Grand Nationals Finalist Center Grove Marching Band and CG Indoor Percussion, which recently earned 5th place in World Class at the 2023 WGI Scholastic World Championships. Dr. Riley has been a Section Percussionist of the Nu Deco Ensemble Miami since 2015, performing a variety of contemporary music around South Florida including collaborations with artists such as Macy Gray, Robert Glasper, Lawrence, X Ambassadors, Ben Folds, Cory Henry, Wyclef Jean, Major Lazer and others; as well as recording a full album at Criteria Records. As a freelance performer in the Indianapolis area, he performs very regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony, as well as recording new works for Wind Ensemble for publishers such as Randall Standridge Music and FJH.

Dr. Riley has also performed previously with a variety of professional ensembles such as the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, the NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and the New World Symphony Orchestra. Andrew was a member of the 2012 third-place DCI Finals group Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, the IU Percussion Ensemble at their 2013 PASIC performance, and performed under the baton of Maestro Robert Spano and other distinguished conductors at the Aspen Music Festival, where he was the recipient of three full fellowships, in 2014, ‘16 and ‘17.

Dr. Riley earned his Bachelor’s and Performer’s Diploma in Percussion Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2014 and 2015, his Master’s Degree in Percussion at the University of Miami in 2017, and his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Miami in 2020, where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Percussion, teaching private lessons, ensembles, and performing instrument inventory and maintenance. His instructors include John Tafoya (National Symphony), Svet Stoyanov, Kevin Bobo, Thomas Stubbs (St. Louis Symphony), and Matthew Strauss (Houston Symphony).

Dr. Riley proudly endorses Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets.