Senior Management
Brian Dredla is chief engagement officer at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). Dredla came to MIM in 2008 and has served in various roles. Most recently, he was director of education and public programs, a position he held for almost eight years. Under Dredla’s leadership, MIM’s education department built one of Arizona’s most popular field trip programs and created an innovative approach to STEM learning though music. Dredla’s current role spans programmatic and institutional advancement efforts. He oversees the full life cycle of dynamic programs that entertain and educate through world music and culture. He also leads a team of strategic fundraisers to advance MIM’s mission, expand MIM’s donor base, and increase giving opportunities.
Dredla earned a bachelor of arts degree in biology from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, and a bachelor of music degree with highest honors in clarinet performance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also holds a master of music degree in clarinet performance and literature from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. While a graduate student at Eastman, Dredla participated in the Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Certificate Program, which is designed to teach musicians the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge needed to become leaders in the ever-changing arts environment. He has completed additional professional training and certification programs, including a Six Sigma Black Belt and a Nonprofit Executive Leadership Certificate through the Arizona State University Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation.
As a clarinetist, Dredla has played with numerous professional and festival orchestras, such as the Phoenix Symphony and the Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra. He performed for two seasons with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In Chicago, Dredla also taught privately and regularly participated in music outreach programs for underserved communities. He is currently principal clarinet of the West Valley Symphony in Surprise, Arizona.