Drew Flieder (b. 1995) is a composer and music theorist based in Santa Barbara, CA. Drew's formal studies began at the Eastman School of Music, under the tutelage of Robert Morris, Oliver Schneller, and Matt Barber. His compositions have received performances across the United States and Europe, earning him awards such as the Bernard Rogers Memorial Prize. Currently, Drew is pursuing graduate studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, under the mentorship of JoAnn Kuchera-Morin and Curtis Roads.
In addition to composition, Drew is a music theorist. In 2020 he embarked on a project titled Tools for Worldmaking. Completed in 2022, this initiative draws from the insights of figures like Mazzola, Carnap, and Aristotle in an attempt to establish a universal framework for theoretical discourse, with applications reaching into music theory.
Drew's musical vision extends beyond the confines of sound alone and is motivated by a religious attitude toward life. He conceives music not merely as a medium for expressing emotion but as a means to engage the mental conditions that generate experience. Accordingly, he envisions music as a pathway to cultivate a purified awareness of reality in its myriad forms.