Ryan Elliot Drew

Ryan (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist, creativity researcher, and multimedia producer based in Epekwitk / Prince Edward Island. His work as a musical performer and recording artist blends his formal training in concert percussion with a passion for contemporary and popular styles of music. In addition to regularly performing with professional ensembles such as the PEI Symphony Orchestra and the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra, Ryan has appeared in venues and on stages across North America — including Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado, and the Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles, California. Ryan is a Teaching Artist with Canada's National Arts Centre (NAC), Educational Outreach Coordinator for the PEI Symphony Orchestra, and has received funds from National Geographic to complete call-to-action projects supported by his scholarly writing on the impacts of climate-induced displacement on community and culture. Separately, Ryan is a visual design contractor with the Canadian Army, he maintains a private piano and percussion studio, and instructs undergraduate courses at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Music from UPEI and a Master in Global Affairs from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) in Madrid, Spain. He is currently working towards his doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) while balancing a busy production and project management portfolio with the NAC.