September 16, 2020

Christian D'Andrea is a recent graduate who majored in Biomedical Engineering and minored in Music Performance. After studying piano throughout childhood and losing interest, a new motivation was gained to continue studying piano at Drexel after learning about the history and cultural context of "classical" piano. Furthermore, the mathematical beauty of such music could then be better understood which added a new depth to listening enjoyment of such music.

Freshman year, he started studying with Stephanie Abruzzo, over the next five years turning a loose understanding of technique and expression in music into a more detailed sense of how to perfect an interpretation of a piece within the composer's intentions. This study led to a few memorable performance opportunities, which included those during the Drexel Week of Undergraduate Excellence and a masterclass held at Drexel with Marc-Antonio Barone. He also was involved in studying and performing chamber works with Dr. Eve Friedman and in studying jazz piano with Mr. Dennis Fortune. These musical opportunities allowed him to create a complement to the relative rigidness in studying engineering and make great friendships with those with shared interests.

He will be continuing at Drexel in both a PhD program in Biomedical Engineering, and in continued musical education and involvement.