About

Violist Drew Alexander Forde, known online as ThatViolaKid, has a reputation not only as an accomplished performer but also as one of classical music’s most recognizable personalities. Profiled in outlets like Thrillist, WNYC, the Detroit Free Press, and Strings Magazine, he was named “one of the titans of Classical Music Instagram” by National Sawdust Log and was called “the future of our field” by Sphinx Organization president Afa Dworkin. As the creator of hip-hop string quartet, wholesoul, Forde aims to expand the limits of string playing.

Highly sought after in popular music, Drew has shared the stage with A-List stars like Adele, Alicia Keys, Anderson Paak, Ariana Grande, T-Pain, Giveon, Willow Smith, JoJo, Kanye West, and Earth Wind and Fire, among others. Forde also regularly performs with Danny Elfman’s orchestra throughout the west coast.

Recording viola for The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then,” is the crowning achievement of Drew’s budding recording career. Recently, Drew was credited for performing on “luther,' one of Kendrick Lamar’s Billboard-topping tracks from his album GNX. Notwithstanding, his performance for John Legend’s Grammy-Award-winning album, “Bigger Love” is another salient accomplishment. Some of his additional credits include music with Kamasi Washington, Hozier, Sabrina Claudio, Phony Ppl, Tobe Nwigwe, Kota The Friend, Michael Kiwanuka, and Vitamin String Quartet, and the late Mac Miller.

Drew’s viola playing has also appeared on several prominent motion picture soundtracks including: “Moana 2,“ Despicable Me 4,” “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” and “Venom: The Last Dance.” Also recording for TV/Streaming, Drew has recorded for Bridgerton, Stargirl, Fargo, Star Trek: Lower Decks, The Orville, and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Drew’s other recent recording projects include soundtracks for: “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Transformers 7,” and “Creed III.

Drew earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. Afterward, he went on to earn his Masters Degree from The Juilliard School.

When not on the concert stage or in the recording studio, Drew shares his entrepreneurial experiences with students from institutions like Harvard, MIT, the Haag Conservatory, Carnegie Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music, Columbia University, and The Juilliard School. His expertise is sought out as a consultant and presenter for a range of organizations from local non-for-profits to Fortune 500 companies. As an influencer and content creator with over 169K followers across all platforms, Drew has collaborated with brands like Apple, Meta, Cartier, Marriott Hotels, PepsiCo, and Google.