Andrew Desiderio

Hello! I'm a composer, teacher, conductor, cellist, and writer based in Philadelphia, PA. I've written film scores, orchestral and instrumental works, songs, and music for the theatre. In 2014, I composed four songs for an original musical about the life of Milton Hershey, which received its first performance in August 2014. In September 2016, after having been an active musician for over ten years, I put on my first full recital of original music, and had works performed between September 2013 and June 2014 with Philadelphia Composers’ Ink (of which I was a cofounder). Original compositions include chamber works, songs, five film scores, a set of variations for cello and piano, and a serenade for string orchestra.

As a conductor, I've conducted numerous musicals, and has guest-conducted the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, the Roxborough Orchestra, and the Palladio Chamber Ensemble. From 2013 to 2014, I was the Assistant Conductor of the Delaware County Symphony. I've also spent time watching conductors while playing cello with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, and many pit orchestras performing the operatic and musical theatre repertoires.

My composition teachers have included Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Justin Dello Joio, and Jeremy Gill. In 2008 I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory from Temple University, where I studied with Jan Krzywicki and Cynthia Folio. In addition to my conducting studies with Luis Biava at Temple, I attended the prestigious Bard College Conductors’ Institute, where I worked with Raymond Harvey, Apo Hsu, and founder Harold Farberman.

My teaching experience has taken me from the classrooms of Temple University, where I taught courses in music history and in Shakespeare-influenced music, to the highly regarded Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music, where I have taught ear training and music theory since 2015. I have also maintained a music-related blog since 2014, and since 2017 have been a reviewer for Fanfare magazine.

I accept composition, music theory, and ear training students ages 12-adult, of all proficiency levels, and I love helping each student understand the language of music, and to discover their unique creative voice.