Drew Hays - baritone saxophone

Drew serves as an Assistant Professor of Music at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, where he teaches saxophone and jazz studies. He has performed with many groups throughout North Carolina and Virginia including the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, the North Carolina Saxophone Ensemble, and the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet. Drew also performs with his own jazz small groups throughout the Greensboro and Winston-Salem area.

Drew recently released his first studio album, a joint recording project with tenor saxophonist James Houlik. Saxophone Premiere: the Saxophone Music of Sherwood Shaffer features six of the Winston-Salem, NC composer’s works for the alto and tenor saxophone, two of which were commissioned by Drew for this project.

Drew grew up in a musical family in rural, southern Ohio where he studied saxophone and oboe and played guitar and bass in local rock bands. He completed a DMA in saxophone at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.

Drew lives in Winston-Salem, NC, with his wife, Angie, and their three cats, Zoey, Isabella, and Lexi. When not performing and teaching, he is an avid cyclist, runner, and appreciates a good cup of coffee.