Drew Tretick

Drew Tretick is a favorite with audiences for his expressive performances and warm stage presence.  A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, he has recorded and performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Radio Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Missouri Symphony and others.  His appearances have taken him from Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas, throughout many countries in Europe and Asia, and by invitation of Andrea Bocelli, they performed together raising over $100,000 for Bocelli’s ARPA Foundation and the Children’s Partners Foundation for cystic fibrosis.  Drew was also recently featured performing for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Las Vegas with Terry Fator and Clint Holmes.  He has appeared in television and radio broadcasts including NBC, ABC, ESPN and PBS and has collaborated in recordings or on stage with Chris Isaak, Glenn Campbell, Sandy Patti, Tony Bennett, Doc Severinsen, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, the late John Denver and others.  All members of his family are professional musicians including three sisters who perform with the Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Phoenix symphonies and a brother who is a concert flutist.  His mother and father have had distinguished performing and teaching careers.

Drew began violin study at age five and was performing professionally before his teens.  As a high school senior at the North Carolina School of the Arts, he was nominated by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and competed for and won the Presidential Scholar in the Arts award at Princeton University.  He then went on to attend The Juilliard School where he received the Lincoln Center Scholarship and completed both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in four years.  His Master's Recital was the first ever to include performance on an electric violin and was broadcast over National Public Radio.  His teachers include: Robert Slaughter, Sally Peck, Josef Gingold, Robert Mann, Nobuko Imai, Paul Doktor, William Lincer and Atar Arad.  Drew also studied at the Aspen Music Festival in the summers while at Juilliard.  Upon graduating, he was appointed Associate Professor and one of the youngest faculty members ever at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

He has a loyal worldwide fanbase from his appearances at Disneyland's Downtown Disney Resort, and has made appearances in Las Vegas where a survey recognized him as a favorite entertainer at The Venetian.  Olympic gold medal winners, pair skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze selected the opening track of his Romantica album, Time to Say Goodbye for the Champions On Ice tour.  Other international skating stars such as Viktoria Borzenkova and Andrei Chuvilaev are currently using his music in their skating programs as well.

Drew served as Artistic Representative for Zeta, a violin division of Gibson Guitar, and more recently collaborated with an acclaimed instrument builder to create an electric violin that is innovative and appealing to both students and professionals (see Electric Violin link on the SHOP page, above).

Drew's genealogy includes a rich heritage of American legends and European musical roots.  He is a descendant of Thomas Stone (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the great American frontiersman, Daniel Boone.  His father was a child prodigy on violin and his family came from Russia.  A relative, Stanley Tretick was a famous photographer to several American presidents, and was especially known for his photography of John F. Kennedy.  Drew's grandfather was an eminent lawyer who was the first director of the State of Colorado Water Conservation Board, and in Washington D.C. negotiated riparian water rights. 

Drew believes in charitable work and has appeared in a number of prominent charities, and contributes from his website to his favorite causes.  Please visit other areas of this website for his schedule of performances, to order CDs and join his e-mail list for the latest album releases and other news.

His message to students

From his worldwide appearances to students and at music conferences sponsored by Gibson & Zeta Music, Drew reflects on his beliefs in education taken from his experiences as an ambassador of education to thousands of students:

"As I like to tell the students I meet at my performances, learning to play an instrument or any arts endeavor is an important part of the creative human spirit.  Besides, if you don't make it a career, you can always carry it with you through life and have a deeper appreciation of the arts.  But whether or not it becomes a profession, that is secondary to the benefits of the journey.  I believe that a complete educational experience must include our arts programs.  Yet we see so many cutbacks.  How hard is it, really, to make a dedicated arts class an essential part of our programs in formative schooling?  It really comes down to those in control of the programs to have a firm belief and structure to make it happen.  I have seen programs on a shoestring budget without outside support, but invariably behind the scenes is a "hero" teacher who believes in what he or she is doing and is often dedicating their time to this important cause. 

Arts are an essential part of a well balanced program of education.  Why is it important?  On one level, music or arts education instills a sense of discipline, patience and perseverance.  Furthermore, it is very important because some of these students will go on to become our business leaders, and very often the stewards of their communities.  The towns and cities across our nation need the support of local business to invest in the culture of the communities in which they operate.  I came from a small town, and our cultural center was the shining gemstone of the community. It is good to remember that many distinguished individuals in our country have had formative training in music, including the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Alan Greenspan, who was a Juilliard student before studying economics. 

I am encouraged when parents tell me that their children are interested in music or studying violin after seeing me perform or hearing my albums.  We all play a part in cultural education in general, and as I've said, music is just one part of a complete education program.  The future can be bright in our schools for our children, but it is up to all of us as a society to realize the dream, and to reward teachers on all levels for their important role and great contribution to society."

"Many parents ask me, "what do I need to do for my child to play an instrument and what type of career could they have?"  Having early training and fine teachers is the primary key to success on any musical instrument, as is early performing experience.  I was already playing in professional orchestras by the age of twelve and had performed on European stages and at the Metropolitan Opera House before attending The Juilliard School for my college years.  During this time, I was also performing outside the school in a variety of other ensembles which broadened my musical experience.  Giving presentations to schools, colleges, and for the public, I gained valuable insights by traveling to many countries.  Often, when I used the electric violin it created excitement and newness for students.  Music has provided a platform to share my ideals about music education for all youth, which I feel is so important in our culture, especially today.  Artists have the opportunity to reach out to people from all walks of life, and for a student contemplating becoming a musician, it can be rewarding career to consider pursuing."