Drew Hays

 

Education

• DMA, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• MM and BM, Duquesne University
• Certificate in Theory Pedagogy, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

 

Biography

Saxophonist Drew Hays has performed with noted artists such as Lou Rawls, Bernadette Peters, Al Martino, Larry Elgart, and Stephen Pollock, and with premiere ensembles including the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, the New Century Saxophone Quartet, and the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet. Drew has performed throughout the Eastern United States including at Lincoln Center, the Eastern Music Festival, the U.S. Navy Band’s International Saxophone Symposium, and the North American Saxophone Alliance bi-annual and regional conferences. He can be heard on saxophonist Stephen Pollock’s solo recording, “So Near, So Far,” produced by Branford Marsalis and released by Alana Records in 2005.

As a saxophonist, Drew has lived a dual-purpose life dividing his time between jazz and classical studies and performance. As a founding member of the Affinity Saxophone Quartet, Drew was selected a winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society Competition and semi-finalist at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. As a soloist, he was selected a winner of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duquesne University concerto competitions. William Thomas Walker of The Classical Voice of North Carolina wrote of Drew as “playing with great breath control and phrasing with sensitivity. …his fingers coursed over the sax keys flawlessly.” His jazz group, the Drew Hays Trio, performs throughout the greater Winston-Salem and Greesnboro area. His compositions and arrangements for big band have been performed and recorded by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duquesne University Jazz Ensembles. Currently, he is working on a joint recording with tenor saxophonist James Houlik of the saxophone works of composer Sherwood Shaffer.

Drew completed a DMA in saxophone with a certificate in theory pedagogy from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2007 where he served as a graduate assistant for the jazz studies, saxophone, and theory departments. He also holds Master’s and Bachelor’s of Music from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He currently serves as an assistant professor of music at Guilford College, where he teaches jazz appreciation, jazz theory, runs the saxophone studio, and coaches the jazz ensembles. He previously held teaching positions at North Carolina A&T State University, Duquesne University, Bucks County Community College, Westminster Conservatory, the Garden State Academy, and the Doylestown School of Music and the Arts. Drew is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and the Jazz Education Network.

Email: haysa@guilford.edu

Phone: 336-316-2292