Andrew Briddell began his career playing bassoon with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra before coming home to music education, where he served as Music Director of the Alabama Youth Symphony and later taught high school orchestra in Elkhart, Indiana. Most recently, he served as Superintendent of the McFarland School District where he led the design team for the McFarland Performing Arts Center. In addition to his work with WYSO, he is a member of the Pentissimo Wind Quintet. He holds degrees in music from Indiana University (B.S.) and Temple University (M.M.), and in education from Ball State University (M.A.) and UW-Madison, where he earned his PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in 2013.