Bushnell Violin Studio

Growing up in Woodinville, WA Andrew was inspired to play violin by his mother, who often practiced the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto around the home and played old records of the great violinists of the 20th century. It wasn’t until age ten that he finally chose violin for himself, with a little help from the beginning strings program at Bear Creek Elementary. Over the years since then Andrew has been inspired by key music teachers in his life who have fanned his passion for violin. A few in particular were his first two violin teachers: Patricia Jaegar and Richard Skerlong, former principal violist of the Seattle Symphony; Gerry Marsh, director of the Cascade Youth Symphony and his High School violin coach Cecilia Archuleta.

By 2000 Andrew had been accepted into the Wheaton Conservatory of Music in Illinois where he studied under Dr. Lee Joiner and sat as co-concertmaster in the symphony orchestra by his senior year. For a few weeks each sumer he participated in chamber music camps such as the Credo Chamber Music Festival held at Oberlin College, Ohio and the Musicorda Chamber Music Festival in western Massachusetts. At both Credo and Musicorda he had the great privilege of working with the great violin pedagogue James Buswell of the New England Conservatory of Music.

Grad School was a pivotal season in his life as his trajectory into a life of music began to take shape. He was admitted into the California State University, Sacramento Department of Music where he studied under San Francisco Conservatory of Music violin professor Ian Swensen. Under his tutorage he studied and performed works such as the Ravel Sonata for violin and piano, Unaccompanied Bach and the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

After graduating with a Master’s of Music in Violin Performance, Andrew left for China. There he worked four years as a foreign music teacher at an American owned private school called Sias International University, located at the heart of the Chinese Han Civilization, Xin Zheng, Henan Province. He taught private violin lessons in English and Mandarin, sat concertmaster in the school’s symphony orchestra as well as directed an English choir and partner-taught Western Music Appreciation to Chinese college students.

Andrew returned to the states June of 2011 and began his Bushnell Violin Studio based out of Kirkland, Washington. He currently plays first violin with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and lives in Redmond, WA with his wife and two children.  

Andrew can be contacted at:
206-940-4584
minstrel2k315@gmail.com