Andy Thierauf is a Philadelphia-based percussionist specializing in the creation and performance of contemporary music. His work is driven by a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, frequently integrating percussion with theater, dance, and technology to create immersive and innovative performances. He is an active member of Arcana New Music Ensemble, NakedEye Ensemble, Network for New Music, and Orchestra 2001, among other ensembles in the Philadelphia area. In addition to his performance career, Andy serves on the faculty of Settlement Music School and is Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Kutztown University, where he teaches music technology and directs the steel band.

Andy has performed extensively across the United States and internationally at major festivals, conferences, and symposiums, with multiple appearances at SEAMUS and PASIC. In 2012, he performed at the Patagonia International Percussion Festival in Argentina with Dan Moore and that same year was also featured as the dancing percussion soloist in a commemorative video recording of Paul Elwood’s Edgard Varèse in the Gobi Desert. Additional career highlights include presenting the North American premiere of Mauricio Kagel’s Zwei Mann Orchester in 2018 and performing works by Lucia Dlugoszewski in 2025 using reconstructed replicas of her unique, invented instruments.

A dedicated collaborator, Andy frequently works with dance companies such as The Naked Stark, Anne Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Company, and Vervet Dance, continually pushing the boundaries of percussion through movement-based performance. He has premiered numerous new works and collaborated with a wide range of composers, including Sarah Hennies, Raven Chacon, James Diaz, Natacha Diels, Sepehr Pirasteh, David Gompper, and Paul Elwood.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Andy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa, a Master of Music from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers include Dan Moore, Rusty Burge, Jim Culley, Allen Otte, Susan Powell, and Joe Krygier, and his composition studies include work with Tom Wells, Marc Ainger, Larry Fritts, and David Gompper.