ANDREW PAA

Trained as a classical violinist and chamber musician, Andrew realized during his studies at Kent State University that there's more to music than just performing. After completing his MM in Chamber Music at Kent State, he decided to attend the University of Akron to pursue an MA in Arts Administration.

His education at the University of Akron heavily emphasized entrepreneurship in The Arts, with courses designed to teach him how to build a nonprofit from scratch. His assistantships focused on marketing School of Music events and teaching courses in the Theatre and Dance divisions. He spent two summers as an Assistant Company Manager with Porthouse Theatre in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Additionally, he worked with Tuesday Musical, a 130+-year-old music presenting organization, to manage their social media.

During the course of his degree, he was also able to start putting what he learned into practice, fusing together his training as a musician, administrator and entrepreneur. He founded the Cuyahoga String Quartet, expanded his teaching studio, and became an in-demand freelancer throughout Northeast Ohio. 

After completing his coursework, including courses in Audience Development, Development, and Strategic Marketing, he's gained real-world experience at Kent State University in marketing and communication at Kent State's Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. In this role, he continues to craft and implement a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy, hone his graphic design and video creations skills, manage multiple social media accounts, and works to strengthen organizational relationships both on and off-campus. An avid arts advocate, he also became the host of Community Focus’s “Artists at Work,” a monthly 30-minute TV show focused on exploring the creative life of artists.

After a brief time in New York City, Andrew has returned to the Cleveland/Akron area to continue his work with artists and nonprofits to help them discover their distinctive identity and broadcast it to the world. He also maintains his skills as a violinist and teacher, performing with ensembles teaching students across the region.  A passionate and lifelong learner, he is currently working toward earning his MA in Journalism and Mass Communication in Kent State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.