Andrew Santander, DMA

Dr. Andrew Santander was born in Valencia, Venezuela, but has spent most of his life living in the Atlanta area. He was always fond of music and began studying the piano in the third grade. From that point music became a primary focus and source of enjoyment for him. After high school he went to study piano at the Indiana University School of Music where he studied with Gyorgy Sebok and Lev Vlassenko, as well as acquiring an interest in early music and the harpsichord. Two master's degrees in Piano and Harpsichord/Early Music were also earned at Indiana University.

He returned to Georgia to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Georgia. The change in schools reflected an interest in focusing on twentieth century piano repertoire, an area that his primary instructor, Richard Zimdars, was actively involved in. Upon graduating, he took a job as director of instrumental music at the University of North Georgia on the Gainesville campus. He also is director of the jazz band and jazz combo on the Gainesville campus.

His musical interests run the gamut from early music to the avant-garde. His collaborations in new music have led to several new piano works written specifically for him. He continues to perform solo and chamber music recitals both nationally and internationally, has won awards in several national and international contests and has recorded several CDs. In addition to his performing activities, Dr. Santander is also an active adjudicator for several piano competitions, and has served as a contributing editor for the Forney & Machlis The Enjoyment of Music textbook.