Raven Pfeiffer
Professional percussionist/drummer, Nashville, TN
Education: B.A. in Music and B.A. in German, UNC Charlotte (2020)
Hometown: Mooresville, N.C.
Since moving to Nashville in 2021, Raven Pfeiffer has established herself as an in-demand recording and touring musician, performing throughout the United States and internationally with artists including Maddie and Tae, Tanner Adell, Girl Named Tom, Emily Ann Roberts, Shane Profitt, Kylie Frey, Brooke Eden, Meagan Allen, the Nashville Symphony and Vienna Light Orchestra.
“I am who I am now because of this department,” Raven said at the 2026 COAA Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, where she received the alumni award from the Department of Music. “Their standards and expectations set me up for success in a music city. The amount of times I have had to learn a full set of 25 songs within a few days would shock you. My all-nighters at UNC Charlotte prepared me for the day I opened for Sabrina Carpenter, performing on an empty stomach, and incredibly jetlagged, in London. Or the time I flew to Los Angeles to record for ‘America’s Got Talent,’ and the artist decided it would be a good idea to send new songs 24 hours before we performed on national television. I have the coolest job in the world, but being comfortable with discomfort is a part of it.”
Raven began playing drums at the age of 12 and was convinced by Senior Lecturer in Percussion Rick Dior to major in music at UNC Charlotte. She embraced the department fully, including performing with the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band, and also found time to earn a second degree in German translation.
The stress was real.
“While I was trying to take on my class course load, ensembles, and marching four days a week, I was also very ill on and off for the first semester of my college career,” Raven recalled. Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, she had to have emergency surgery and was out of school for three weeks.
“The music department was extremely accommodating and willing to work with me during the weeks that I was recovering. I never in a million years would have expected the love and support that I received during that time from a college department. Because of my professors, I was able to complete my second semester on time.”
Raven credits many music faculty with both challenging and supporting her throughout her time at UNC Charlotte. As her percussion instructor, Rick Dior was a particular influence.
Dior “challenged everything I thought I knew about technique, skill and excellence,” Raven said, and was patient “on the days that I should’ve practiced more,” adding that his criticism molded her “into the player I could only dream of being.” Dior remains a mentor, Raven said, as she continues to build her career.
In 2026-27 Raven is touring with Shane Profitt, opening for Luke Bryan’s “Word On The Street” Tour, and will be seen on drum set premiering a new show, “Oops…I Sang It Again!” with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, among others, under the direction of guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez.