Hall of Fame drummer Chris Vrenna to teach at the University of Michigan

Matt Jaworowski
·2 min read
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is trading in his tour jacket for a cap and gown — joining the University of Michigan’s Department of Performing Arts Technology.

Chris Vrenna, best known as the founding drummer of Nine Inch Nails, will serve as an assistant professor starting this fall. The Grammy-winning musician is known for his wealth of skills and experience, not just as a performer but as a producer, engineer, mixer and composer.

“It is both exciting and humbling to be joining the renowned faculty at the University of Michigan,” Vrenna said in a statement. “My father is a Michigan alumnus. He and I would spend Saturday afternoons watching Michigan football, so I grew up a Wolverines fan. This opportunity to become a professor at Michigan and move to Ann Arbor feels like a homecoming for me.”

In this 2011 file photo, Chris Vrenna, right, works with recording engineer Eich Mouser at a Los Angeles recording studio. (Getty Images)
In this 2011 file photo, Chris Vrenna, right, works with recording engineer Eich Mouser at a Los Angeles recording studio. (Getty Images)

Vrenna has spent several stints playing with Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the band in 2020.

He has also performed with several other bands, including Marilyn Manson and Stabbing Westward, released four records with an electronic band called Tweaker, and has worked behind the scenes with several popular acts, including The Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Weezer, Green Day and David Bowie.

Beyond the stage, Vrenna has composed music for several video games, including “Doom 3” and “Call of Duty: ExoZombies.”

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Vrenna received his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and a master’s degree in music technology from Southern Utah University.

Before making the move to Michigan, Vrenna served as a faculty member at several schools, including Athens State University, the University of Alabama and the Madison Media Institute.

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The university plans to use his expertise to restructure its undergraduate recording curriculum and to build new courses to explore sound design for film and video games.

“I cannot wait for the fall semester to start, and I am looking forward to meeting the faculty, staff and students in August,” Vrenna stated.

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