Dr. Andrew Binder is a bassist and composer based in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to SEMO, he has served on the faculty at Jazz St. Louis, Jefferson College, and the Community Music School of Webster University.

Dr. Binder holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance with a cognate in Music Composition from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. He earned a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition, Jazz Studies, and Double Bass Performance from Bowling Green State University.

Dr. Binder’s honors include winning the 2018 Ensemble Ibis Competition (Graduate Division) for his work Brux and first prize in the 26th Annual Craig’s Keyboards/UT Young Composers’ Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2014 Douglas Wayland Chamber Competition (Graduate Division). His music has been performed by leading new music ensembles including Dal Niente, Ritual Action, and Ensemble Ibis, and has been read by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and members of the Cleveland Orchestra.

As a performer, Dr. Binder has appeared alongside a wide range of acclaimed artists, including Thaddeus Tukes, Jay Webb, Melissa Aldana, Edu Ribeiro, Tammy McCann, Eric Slaughter, Steve Davis, Chip McNeill, Joel Spencer, Tito Carrillo, Larry Gray, Chip Stephens, Mark Tonelli, and Jose Gobbo. 

As a regular presenter at conferences, including the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers and the Jazz Educators Network Conference, Dr. Binder most recently presented at the 2025 International Society of Bassists Convention, where he shared his in-development jazz bass method, The New Standards Method.

In 2023, Andrew was awarded an Urbana Arts Grant for his modern jazz group Conspiracy Deliracy, featuring all original compositions and artwork based on different conspiracy theories. The group’s debut album was self-released on October 13, 2023.

Dr. Binder also has a video game music project called Joystick Drift, that reimagines iconic game tracks as neo-soul and funk arrangements, often incorporating creative mashups with popular songs.