Andrea Venet

Dr. Andrea Venet is a solo and chamber percussion artist specializing in contemporary and classical percussion literature. She is currently Assistant Professor of Percussion and Area Coordinator at the University of North Florida, where she directs the UNF percussion ensemble, teaches applied lessons, pedagogy, methods and percussion literature. Her creative interests also include composition and arrangements for contemporary chamber percussion ensemble.

As a passionate educator, Venet’s research involves pedagogy, with focus on college percussion education at various levels, classical improvisation and historically informed Baroque performance practice techniques for Bach on marimba. As a soloist and chamber musician, Andrea has performed internationally in Europe and the US, taking 2nd prize at the 2013 PAS KoSA Solo Marimba Competition at NYU. Dr. Venet was featured in Japan at Kyoto City University of the Arts Exchange concert with UNF and KCUA faculty. She has also been a featured performer with the Lawson Ensemble, Project Trio, the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, was a member of the award winning Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, and performed with Grammy winning alternative band TOOL. Andrea also served on the judging panel for the Great Plains International Marimba Competition in 2017.

Andrea’s percussion duo, Escape Ten (with Dr. Annie Stevens, Virginia Tech), remains active commissioning new works and performing around the country as featured artists. In addition to a showcase concert featuring several world premieres at the 2016 PASIC Convention, Escape Ten gave the world premier of their commission, 2300 Degrees by Ivan Trevino in Atlanta’s Spivey Hall. In addition to regular appearances at percussion festivals across the country, Escape Ten has been featured artists at the Barnes Foundation, the Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar, Rhea Miller Concert series, Musica Viva Concert Series, McCormick Marimba Festival, the International Trombone Festival, VMEA, PMEA, and at the Virginia Humanities Conference at Roanoke College. Escape Ten has collaborated with composers Michael Burritt, Alejandro Viñao, Ivan Trevino, Emmanuel Séjourné, Joe Locke, Steve Danyew, Aurél Hollo, Steve Ridley, Drew Worden, and Kelly Rossum. Escape Ten has their own publication series of new percussion duos through Keyboard Percussion Publications (KPP). You can hear Escape Ten on their first album Colours of a Groove (2013).

Andrea holds a DMA in Performance and Literature with a minor in Pedagogy, and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. She received her Masters in Percussion Performance from Rutgers University and a Bachelors of Music from Arizona State University. Andrea is a performing Malletech artist, endorses Remo and DREAM Cymbals/Gongs, and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society.