Andrew studied the clarinet and piano at the junior school of the Royal Academy of Music from the age of ten and subsequently gained a place at the Royal Northern College of Music to study clarinet and saxophone with John Reynolds and Neville Duckworth. During his time at the RNCM he performed concertos on both instruments with the Chamber Orchestra and Wind Orchestra and as a member of the Big Band he had the opportunity to play alongside many great names in Jazz. He graduated in 1991 with a first class honours degree and the professional performance diploma.
As a freelance musician he has played, recorded and broadcast with many leading orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and Hallé Orchestras, big bands, theatre orchestras and a variety of Jazz ensembles. He has recorded numerous times for television and radio including many jingles and adverts and has performed many concertos including the first performance of a Concerto written for him for Alto Saxophone and Recorder Orchestra and has given numerous recitals throughout the British Isles.
Andrew enjoys composing and arranging and currently has 12 publications to his name including many pieces that have been selected by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity exams. He has also written pieces commissioned by the Associated Board and published in their ‘Music Medals’ series.
As a former member of the Adelphi Saxophone Quartet he performed both nationally and internationally at many well known venues such as Purcell Room, Barbican Centre, St James’s Church Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the Fields, the Bridgewater Hall, the British and World Saxophone Congresses and as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Series. The Quartet received many major awards and were finalists in the Royal Overseas League Competition. They have broadcast live on Radio 3, Classic FM, Granada Television and the Quartet’s debut CD, “Simply Four Saxophones”, which was released in 1998 with EMI, has sold almost 10,000 copies and also contains many of Andrew’s arrangements.
Andrew has an extensive teaching practice and has taught at Chetham’s School of Music since 1994. He directs the saxophone choir, saxophone quartets and is also coaches other chamber music ensembles. He also teaches at Cheadle Hulme School where he also directs the big band. He is a tutor for the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, has been an assessor for the Royal Northern College of Music as well as tutoring on their Saxophone Days. He has also tutored for the Leeds College of Music Saxophone Summer School.
