Whether performing on the piano, teaching, or honing his penchant for concert curation, Andrew Barnwell is almost always working at one keyboard or another.

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As a performer, Andrew finds chamber music especially fulfilling, and outside of Trio Gaia, recent chamber music performances have brought Andrew to schools and public venues across Boston, to the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival in Winnipeg, Canada, and to Jordan Hall. As a soloist, Andrew has appeared with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra and has presented solo recitals at NEC and in the community through NEC’s Community Performances and Partnerships initiative.

 

Early in his career, Andrew developed a passion for event planning, and as a student at the New England Conservatory he kept looking for opportunities to plan, organize, and execute. As a 2017 NEC 150 Fellow, he programmed a series showcasing ten eclectic ensembles as part of NEC’s Open Studios celebration. From 2018 to 2020, Andrew was one of five NEC Nova Fellows, a team of students who produced multidisciplinary concerts that united music with other performing and visual arts. Most recently, Andrew produced “In Good (ac)Company,” a 5- day virtual concert series in response to the pandemic that presented 13 randomly paired duos of NEC students and alumni. In two years and across six mainstage and community engagement events, the Nova Fellows reached 2,000+ audience members and partnered with local musicians, artists, and businesses, including Sofar Sounds and Roxbury’s Immigrant Family Services Institute. Additionally, Andrew has had the pleasure of volunteering with From the Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders, interning for Celebrity Series of Boston’s development team, and teaching piano.

 

Born in Massachusetts, he began his piano studies with Heather Rodgers Riley before relocating with his family to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he studied with Søren Pedersen. Andrew attended high school in Seattle, Washington, and was first a student of Mark Salman before joining the studio of Dainius Vaicekonis, and later, renowned pedagogue Robin McCabe. Andrew graduated in 2020 from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Victor Rosenbaum, earning a Bachelor’s of Music in piano performance with a minor in history and cultural studies. Andrew now studies with Vivian Hornik Weilerstein. During Andrew’s many hours spent avoiding the practice room, he can usually be found wandering the galleries of local art museums, scouring the internet for new clothes, or searching street-by-street for Boston’s best ice cream and pastries—recommendations are gladly accepted.