Biography

Andrew M. Bliss serves as Director of Percussion Studies and tenured Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of Tennessee , where he leads the Percussion Ensemble, the African-Diasporic Percussion Ensemble, and coordinates applied percussion and seminar/laboratory instruction across undergraduate and graduate levels. His work combines performance, curation, and mentorship, providing students with opportunities to engage deeply in both traditional and forward-looking percussion practices.

Since arriving at UT in 2011, Bliss has built a nationally recognized percussion program distinguished by artistic excellence and community engagement. He directs the award-winning University of Tennessee Percussion Ensemble, which was featured at the 2015 PASIC New Literature Session and earned international acclaim by winning the 2018 PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition, resulting in a showcase concert at PASIC. The ensemble has also appeared twice at the McCormick Marimba Festival (FL) and performed on the 2017 and 2025 PASIC Focus Day concerts, collaborating with leading composers on innovative repertoire. Bliss is the founder of the annual UT Percussion Festival sponsored by PAS, and he has established a strong outreach profile for the program through performances at Knox County schools, the Dogwood Arts Festival, the UT Alumni Awards Gala, the Knoxville Symphony Children’s Concert Series, and the UT Cancer Institute. In recognition of his creative and pedagogical contributions, Bliss received the Faculty Innovator Award from the UT Teaching & Learning Center in 2024.

Bliss is active internationally as a performer, conductor, and educator. His appearances range from Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival to the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany) and the Patagonia Percussion Festival (Argentina). He has collaborated with a wide range of artists including John Luther Adams, Pamela Z, Mark Applebaum, Jose Gurria-Cardenas, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Carolyn Chen, Evan Chapman, Kendall Williams, Evaristo Aguilar, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Marc Mellits, Roomful of Teeth, So Percussion, and the Kronos Quartet. His performances span the solo and chamber repertoire, large ensemble collaborations, and cross-genre projects that bridge contemporary classical, experimental, and global traditions — with a growing focus on drumset performance, live electronics, original composition, and large-scale sound installations.

As a conductor and producer, Bliss specializes in creating immersive concert experiences. He has directed projects such as Michael Gordon’s Big Space with the Bang on a Can All-Stars at the Tennessee Theatre, a 100-percussionist realization of Michael Pisaro’s A wave and waves, and a live score performance of Brimstone & Glory. He also served as Director of the 2016 PASIC Focus Day, and for two decades as co-founder and Artistic Director of Nief-Norf, establishing its Summer Festival as an international hub for contemporary thought that united performers, composers, and scholars in collaborative, interdisciplinary work.

Bliss is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator, sharing his expertise through residencies and master classes at universities across the country. He has adjudicated major events including the Music for All National Percussion Festival, the PAS Concert Chamber and International Percussion Ensemble Competitions, and recently served as performer and adjudicator at the Center Grove High School Percussion Festival and the Ohio State University Percussion Festival. He has also been a featured presenter at leading conferences such as the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), the Midwest Clinic, the College Music Society, and the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. His method book Multitudes (Musicon Publications) is widely used nationally among high school and collegiate percussion programs.

Bliss is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist, and his performance and education activities are generously supported through collaborations with Zildjian Cymbals, Innovative Percussion, Evans & Sensory Percussion (D’Addario), Black Swamp, and Meinl Percussion.

---

Education

• DMA, Percussion Performance & Pedagogy, University of Kentucky (2008)
• MM, Percussion Performance & Pedagogy, University of Kentucky (2006)
• BM, Percussion Performance, Northern Illinois University (2004)