Biography

Described recently in the Observer as a ‘tremendous young conductor’, and recipient of the 2012 Leonard Ingrams Memorial Prize from Garsington Opera, John Andrews is increasingly in demand for his musical fluency, passion and skill.

He is Music Director of Stanley Hall Opera, and is conductor-in-association of the English Symphony Orchestra (with whom he will close this year’s English Music Festival with Sir Arthur Sullivan’s The Golden Legend). He has conducted several productions for English Touring Opera, is on the music staff at Garsington Opera, Music Director of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, a resident conductor at Opéra de Baugé, and this year conducts The Mikado for Co-Opera-Co.

He regularly assists David Parry, most recently on Opera Rara’s recording of Donizetti’s Caterina Cornaro. For Andrew Litton he prepared Der fliegende Holländer for Den Nye Opera and the Bergen Philharmonic and in 2011 rehearsed the BBC Concert Orchestra for their ‘Comedy’ Prom. He has also worked at the Royal Opera House on Tosca (Puccini). Past successes include winning the Orchestra Prize at the First Béla Bartók Opera Conducting Competition in 2005.

As part of his commitment to education work for all ages, he has conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, in Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns) in the West End Live Festival. He is the Principal Guest Conductor of the THAMES (Tower Hamlets) Youth Orchestra.

He is a resident conductor for City Music Services for whom he has conducted Carmen (Bizet) at Sadlers Wells, and The Magic Flute (Mozart) at Glyndebourne. He is also Music Director of Leicester Symphony Orchestra, Harpenden Choral Society, St John of Jerusalem Festival Chorus and Vivace Choir.

He is passionately interested in locating music in its social and historical context, with a Cambridge doctorate on the political and religious world of eighteenth-century oratorio. He writes programme articles, has appeared on Radio 4 discussing his research on Handel’s Semele, and recently lectured at the Elgar School of Music on the birth of English Opera.

John lives in London with Susan, Frances and Katharine, and their two cats.