How to Get Over Performance Anxiety

Violist Drew Alexander Forde has performed extensively and with great acclaim throughout the United States and abroad. His solo engagements include a performance of the Walton Viola Concerto with both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed the Mendelssohn Octet alongside the world-renowned St. Lawrence String Quartet, and with great success. Recently, he was asked to perform in the Rome Chamber Music Festival for two summers, culminating with an electric performance of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet alongside exhilarating violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. In addition to the Rome Chamber Music Festival, Drew has performed at the Montecito International Music Festival, Brevard International Music Festival, Franklin Pond Chamber Music, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Colorado College Music Festival, and the Sejong International Music Festival.
Born in Atlanta, GA., Drew Alexander Forde began his viola studies at age twelve. He pursued undergraduate studies at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. During his years at Mercer, Drew studied with Mr. Paul Murphy, Associate Principal Violist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Dutton, violist of the world-renowned Emerson Quartet, and Becca Albers, associate principal violist of the Minnesota Orchestra. Since graduating Cum Laude from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, Drew is pursuing his Master’s Degree at the Juilliard School where he studies with the legendary Heidi Castleman and the illustrious Hsin-Yun Huang.
Drew is extremely involved in community engagement, both live and via interactive social media. After attending the Otis Redding Singer/Songwriter summer camp and the DECODA Skidmore Chamber Music Institute, Drew realized his desire to educate, share, and immerse audiences in classical music through interactive performance. Using these skills, combined with his social media prowess, Drew is working fervently to tell the story of classical music and inspire audiences to see what all the fuss is about!