Biography

Dr. Andrew Smith, bass-baritone, was born and raised in Washington, DC. He graduated from George Mason University (GMU) in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance, studying under Professor Samuel L. E. Bonds. During his time at George Mason University, he performed the roles of Balthazar in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, Bartolo in W. A. Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Sarastro in W. A. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Betto in Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. After completing his Bachelor’s at George Mason, he attended The Catholic University of America (CUA), where he earned his Master of Music Degree in 2018. While at CUA, he was heard as Blitch in Carlisle Floyd’s Susanna, Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Gianni Schicchi in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Dr. Smith, in 2025, received his Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Michigan and studied with Mr. Daniel Washington. While at the University of Michigan, he was heard in the roles of Don Giovanni in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Thalasso in David Hanlon’s The Pigeon Keeper, Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. 

His research explores community and culture in vocal music, specifically examining the influence of African American artists, sacred texts, and the significance of ensemble singing within the genre. Using performance as the primary research method, Dr. Smith has and will continue to analyze community and culture through recitals, productions, his own arrangements, original compositions, and recording projects designed to enrich both the performers' and the audience's sensorium.

Over the years, Dr. Smith has performed as the bass soloist in various notable works. He has been the bass soloist for Handel’s Messiah in the DC area, and he also sang the bass solo in Schubert’s Stabat Mater (2023) and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (2024) with Colby College. Additionally, he portrayed Elijah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Georgetown Chorale in 2023 and with Hillsdale College in 2024. Most recently, he was the bass soloist in the Washington Chorus’s performances of This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail in 2025 and Mass in D Major by Dvořák in 2026, and the bass soloist for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Salina Symphony in 2026.

Dr. Smith continues to share his musical talents through various compositions and arrangements for the community and his gospel group, The Genesis Music Ministry. Some of their original music is available on all digital streaming platforms. He also serves as an assistant conductor with the Men of Color Chorale in Washington, DC, and has founded ASMITHMUSIC LLC, an arts organization.

Dr. Smith founded ASMITHMUSIC LLC in 2020, during the pandemic, to make music accessible to the community while maintaining physical distance. At that time, ASMITHMUSIC focused on providing music tutoring and consulting services. Since then, it has broadened its mission to ensure music is available to everyone, offering tutoring, consulting, performances, and artist management.  

The organization aims to strengthen the community’s connection to the arts and cultivate a lasting appreciation for all types of music through arts education, partnerships with other organizations, and innovative performances and productions. This goal is accomplished through the Sam Bonds Chorale, one of ASMITHMUSIC’s primary performing ensembles, led by Dr. Smith as the conductor and Artistic Director.

The Sam Bonds Chorale comprises musicians from the DMV area who cherish sacred and inspirational choral music and aim to uphold its legacy, as exemplified by Samuel L. E. Bonds. The chorale's mission is to educate the community about the significance and value of sacred and inspirational music. They have performed at various churches across the area and participated in the National Cathedral's second annual Black History Month program (2025) and the Atlas Theatre Intersections Festival (2024). The Sam Bonds Chorale was recently named a 2026 Wammie Award winner for their first single, "At Last," which took home the award in the Best Inspirational/Gospel Song category.

Dr. Smith was most recently named a 2027 Strathmore Artist-in-Residence and currently serves as a Lecturer of Musical Theatre at Howard University, an Adjunct Applied Professor of Voice at George Mason University, an Adjunct Voice Instructor in Musical Theater at the Catholic University of America, and maintains a vocal studio for all ages through his organization, ASMITHMUSIC LLC. He is grateful to God for the gift of music and for the ability to share it with the world.