We welcome to Cork our second Music Adjudicator Mr. Andrew Sherwood, ARCM.
Andrew Sherwood has been a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire since 1990. He has written music for art films, performed onstage and off in a West End musical in a part written for him, freelanced in many British Orchestras, led the orchestra for Ballet Rambert, played concertos and recitals in many parts of the world from Norway to Zimbabwe, is one of the first Fellows of British and International Federation of Festivals taking him from Hong Kong to Ireland, recording, conducting, being principal conductor/musical director of a range of orchestras and choirs from European Youth Summer Music, to an orchestra specializing in neglected or new music.
Youth orchestras are important because when young people play good music together, they nearly always keep learning because it is fun and attached to a great social life. Andy has given his time to many youth orchestras both in Britain and worldwide from South America to China. He was for 27 years principal conductor for all Brighton Orchestras several of which he founded. The Brighton Youth Orchestra (BYO) was chosen several times by Music for Youth to perform in the Youth Proms in the Albert Hall (‘the best performance in 27yrs of the Youth Proms’ – The Times) and toured to Hong Kong, Macau, and most of Europe from Spain to Poland. The BYO String ensemble won the national ‘outstanding performance award’ (now discontinued) 5 times out of 7 consecutive years. He still conducts a similar ensemble for Create Music (they have just played in the Albert Hall) as well as other youth orchestras such as Somerset County Youth Orchestra and elsewhere. Many students from these orchestras are now professional musicians while most have gone on to do amazing things from art to medecine, entrepreneurs, designing cars and running airplane companies. Composers who have written works for him include Sir John Tavener, Howard Skempton, Howard Goodall and he have worked with many soloists including Evelyn Glennie, John Tomlinson, Joanna MacGrego, Nicola Benedetti, Philip Fowke, Charles Mutter and Sam Sherwood.
He recently made a CD of popular violin pieces, using the profits for Medecins sans Fontieres. (andrewsherwood.uk) and is now recording the violin and piano works of John Blackwood McEwen to be released in March 2024.