Montreal Children's Choir

Andrew Gray

Artistic Director, Andrew Gray

Born in the UK, Andrew joined his father's church choir at the age of six but even before his seventh birthday had left home to start a formal choral education as a resident chorister at Durham Cathedral, England. As a young treble he was a member of a choir that sang eight services a week and he also worked as a soloist on the Lloyd-Webber Requiem and for performances of Messiah as the angel.

Andrew went on to obtain a Bachelor of the Arts Combined Honours Degree in Music and Drama from the University of Birmingham, UK, studying orchestration, performance practice, singing, music & movement therapy, stage lighting and design, acting methods, history of the theatre and modern dance as well as forming an a cappella octet, a Big Band, conducting the chamber orchestra, directing the University Musical Society and singing with a number of University and semi-professional groups.

Andrew then worked extensively with choir & orchestra 'Ex Cathedra' (dir. Jeffrey Skidmore). Whilst with Ex Cathedra he helped establish and develop their country-wide choral education project and worked as a tutor for these and similar projects for the British Federation of Youth Choirs. He taught music in secondary schools, was a private singing teacher, voice & elocution coach and trained in 'positive assertive discipline.'

In 1997 Andrew joined the internationally-renowned a cappella group 'The Swingle Singers' and toured the world with them for 5 years singing all styles of music (from classical through jazz and contemporary opera) and giving workshops and masterclasses in schools and universities. He had the privilege to work directly with Luciano Berio on performances of his opera Outis at La Scala Milan and Le Chatelet Paris, as well as on a DVD recording (under Peter Eotvös) and numerous performances of his Sinfonia with conductors Pierre Boulez, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, David Roberston, David Zinman, Arturo Tamayo, amongst others, and with Kent Nagano on a live recording of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd.

Whilst not touring Andrew sang at a number of major London Churches, with 'The Britten Singers', frequently recorded with 'Metro Voices' at Abbey Road and Lyndhurst Studios for movie soundtracks and continued to give workshops on choral discipline and vocal ensemble skills. He has also sung backing vocals for Jarvis Cocker & PULP, Russell Watson, Roch Voisine and Garou, has toured with Chris de Burgh and sung on a number of pop albums. He has done some arranging and has had articles on choral education published.

The last ten years saw Andrew managing a professional chamber choir, teaching at the International School ‘Aiglon College’ in Switzerland, as well as singing with the 'Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne' under Michel Corboz and leading masterclasses for smaller vocal groups such as 'L'Octuor Contretemps'. He also toured and recorded regularly with 'Tenebrae', a British professional chamber choir widely recognized as one of the best of its kind in the world. Andrew founded and directed the Swiss-based 'Villars Vanguard Jazz Orchestra' which continues to thrive and was the choral expert for the MMA International Conference in Switzerland (the Music Masters and Mistresses Association - a conference for the heads of music of International Schools around the world).

As a soloist Andrew has sung solo roles in Ravel Les Enfants et les sortileges (with the Opera Orchestra of Tel Aviv), Bach B Minor Mass and St. John Passion, Britten Rejoice in the Lamb, Handel Messiah as well as singing jazz gigs, with Big Band and even a short spell in a soul/rock band. Andrew is also the general manager of Montréal's St. Lawrence Choir.

http://www.andrewgray.ca/

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