Hailed by WQXR as a “remarkable bassoonist,” Andy Sledge (they/them) has performed in concert halls, teahouses, opera pits, parking lots, and video game soundtracks. One of two bassoonists ever to win the Astral National Competition, Andy’s work situates personhood at the heart of the artistic experience.

Striving to expand the sonic possibilities of the bassoon, Andy has collaborated with composers including Nicky Sohn and Alexis C. Lamb in the creation of new works for solo bassoon, bassoon and fixed media, and “fixed” bassoon with live clarinet. In 2024, Andy appeared as concerto soloist with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra as part of their opening night gala.

In 2022, Andy co-founded the Bridge Bassoon Duo with bassoonist Dana Brink. Dedicated to promoting queer voices while pursuing the highest level of musicianship, the duo has performed regularly at the Conference of the International Double Reed Society, the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium, and festivals and universities across the United States. The Bridge Bassoon Duo’s commissions include works by Sandra Bailey, Meadow Bridgham, Chrysanthe Tan, and Madeline October Wildman.

An avid orchestral musician, Andy serves as Principal Bassoon of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and Second Bassoon of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. They have also performed with the Richmond, New Haven, Princeton, and Westmoreland Symphony Orchestras, as well as Symphony in C. Their playing appears on the soundtrack to the Warmind expansion for Destiny 2.

Andy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, the third bassoonist in Yale history to complete this program. They earned their master’s at Yale and their bachelor’s at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of music. Andy’s primary teachers include Frank Morelli, Peter Kolkay, Laura Hauser, and their middle school band director, Paul Scott Black.