Why did you choose the USC School of Music?
The fact is that I chose the USC School of Music because it was the only school I got into. I applied to three schools and was rejected by the other two, so that meant USC was where I was going. At the time, I remember initially feeling rather disappointed, but that didn’t last long. I had several horn-playing friends who were also headed to USC, and we started talking about how we were going to be the best class of horn players the school had ever seen. Of course, once we got there, Bob Pruzin (the horn professor) put us in our place pretty quickly. Seniority was a major factor in certain aspects of how he ran the studio, which was initially quite frustrating. Fortunately, that only made me more eager to prove myself. In retrospect, USC truly was the best place I could have ended up. It was exactly what I needed. Mr. Pruzin’s demanding teaching style (to put it lightly) combined with the support and sense of belonging I felt from my studio mates formed the perfect environment for me to succeed. And the things about Mr. Pruzin’s leadership style that initially frustrated me created opportunities for advancing my education in ways that many other schools would struggle to match.
What person, course or experience was most influential for you while at the School of Music?
While there are many to choose from, if I had to choose just one it would have to be Bob Pruzin; specifically, the opportunity he provided for his students to play in the South Carolina Philharmonic and the Augusta Symphony. As an undergraduate student, those opportunities provided real, hands-on, professional orchestral experience, a rare thing for a student in that phase of learning. As a result of the confidence I gained through those experiences, by the time I graduated from USC I was consistently getting paid to perform with four professional orchestras. I will forever be grateful to Bob Pruzin and the SC Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and the Beaufort Orchestra for the knowledge and experience I was able to gain through performing with those ensembles.
How has your education at the USC School of Music helped you in your life and career?
I was challenged in so many ways, both in terms of variety and quantity. By the time I graduated, I was principal horn in the band and the orchestra simultaneously (we didn't rotate), performing with two horn quartets (one competing and one gigging), part of a competing and performing woodwind quintet, and playing with the USC horn ensemble, all while playing in four professional orchestras. While preparing for all these responsibilities, I also needed to prepare my weekly lesson assignments for Mr. Pruzin. Balancing all my performing/practice commitments alongside my standard music and non-music coursework was particularly difficult. I also raced mountain bikes throughout my time at USC, was the music director of the Delta Sigma chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and had a girlfriend who lived over an hour away. In an effort to get the required rest, I never allowed myself to get less than 6 hours of sleep. For exercise, my mountain bike training would frequently be late at night when I didn't have classes in the morning, usually midnight to 2 am (I would climb all the parking garages around Columbia, haha). My career now is multifaceted with all the teaching and performing I do. I also host and produce a podcast and dabble in instrumental recording a bit as well. I have two young kids, so I try to prioritize being dad as often as possible, but the reality is that it's a lot to juggle. Fortunately, as a result of my time at USC, I'm intimately familiar with the task of balancing so many responsibilities at the same time.
What is one of your favorite memories, classes, professors or activities while attending the School of Music?
As music director of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity, I helped organize a joint recital with Sigma Alpha Iota, a music sorority at USC. I was in a horn quartet with three of my fraternity brothers and there was an opportunity to incorporate some funny sounds into the piece we were going to perform on the recital. Our plan was for each of us to incorporate our silly sound, one at a time, during a series of brief rests. First there was a loud click, then a wookiee sound, then a really loud whistle. For the fourth sound, we came up with the dumbest of dumb ideas. We knew Mr. Pruzin, our horn professor, was going to be in attendance. We also knew that he always sat in the exact same chair for every performance, so we deliberately placed a fart machine under his chair. During the performance, I had the remote in my pocket and pressed it at the perfect moment of silence in the music. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I had not had the wherewithal to run a test before the performance to see if the remote would reach Mr. Pruzin’s seat, and of course I was too far away, and it didn’t go off. As a result, there was an awkward silence where everyone in the quartet just looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, then kept going. It ended up being pretty hilarious since it was a genuine reaction to not being sure what to do, and it got a pretty big laugh from the audience. Mr. Pruzin asked me in my next lesson what was the deal with the awkward silence, and I courageously spilled the beans. Fortunately, he took it pretty well.
What advice would you give current students or recent graduates pursuing a music performance or music education career?
1) Focus on doing the basics well. Your skills are cumulative. Every time you learn
something new, it sits squarely on top of a foundation comprised of your habits. It’s
natural to want to fixate on the new ‚ “shiny”, thing you just learned, but it shouldn’t
be at the cost of neglecting your foundation. It's important that you continue to
revisit those basic fundamental habits daily to keep them sharp or to challenge yourself
to find a better way of doing things.
2) See everything as a learning opportunity. We should strive to be life-long learners
constantly in pursuit of a better way. Sometimes you will learn something new that
will help refine what you already know, and sometimes you will learn something so
profound that it will make you question everything you thought you knew, requiring
you to rebuild from the bottom up. You must always be willing to do what is necessary
to improve.
Students must trust, believe, and generally connect with their teachers. We all know students don't learn through osmosis. They have to put in the effort. And in order for that to happen, they have to WANT to put in the effort. If they don't do this, they're not going to learn much. It doesn't matter how much you know if your students are not interested in putting in the effort to learn from you. With this in mind, I think the best thing a teacher can do to motivate their students is to be knowledgeable about the challenges of learning how to do something for the first time, and I think the best way for teachers to do that is to make a habit of continually learning new things. In my experience, humans forget very quickly what it is like to learn how to do something difficult for the very first time, so when a teacher isn't connected to that challenge, it's hard for them to connect with the experience of their students. This causes the students to feel like their teacher doesn't understand the challenges they're going through, or worse, doesn't know anything about the subject they are teaching. If this happens for too long, the students will stop putting forth their best effort or may stop trying altogether.
What is one of your proudest professional or personal accomplishments that occurred after graduating from the School of Music in which your education played a role?
The excitement of your own musical success is only overshadowed by the success of those you care most about; in this case, my own students’ successes. I have two former students that are currently attending my other alma mater, The Juilliard School. I am so proud of them: Way to go, Sydney and Wyatt!!!
What ensembles did you perform with while at USC?
Chamber Ensemble(s); USC Symphonic Winds; USC Symphony Orchestra; USC Wind Ensemble.
What is currently playing on repeat on your Spotify/Pandora/Apple Music, etc.?
The sheer volume of music I have to learn or refamiliarize myself with on a weekly basis dictates the answer to this one. If I'm listening to music, usually it's in preparation for the week's upcoming rehearsals and performances. The Charlotte Symphony is a phenomenal orchestra, and the standard of playing is very high. Though the musicians of the Charlotte Symphony are outstanding, we're still human, and you do sometimes feel like you're getting every last drop of energy squeezed out of you. While our amazing music director, Kwame Ryan, does a great job balancing caring about us as people while also having relentlessly high expectations, the fact of the matter is the orchestra will sometimes rehearse and perform up to three different programs a week with very little rest/preparation time from week to week. As a result, preparation through listening/playing along with recordings and studying the score is 100% required. There are some instances where the orchestra will have its only rehearsal the same day as the performance. Learning to perform on minimal rehearsal time while keeping the artistic standard very high only works if everyone comes in prepared, and listening to/studying the music is one of the best ways to achieve this necessary level of preparation.
Please share any recent accomplishments, major life events, awards, etc.
I'm thoroughly enjoying being the Artist-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for the '26-'27 academic year. I'm teaching a total of 112 one-hour lessons and 4 masterclasses over the course of the year. I also had a blast recording an episode all about the UNCSA horn studio for my podcast, Horn Sessions.
Can you share any upcoming performances?
There are so many! I highly encourage everyone to support their local music-making organizations and ensembles. If you happen to be within driving distance of Charlotte, NC, I would love to see you at one of our shows! All our concerts are posted on our website: www.charlottesymphony.org
Learn more about Andrew at www.andrewfierova.com or follow him on Instagram @fierovahorn