Andrew Lucas
Andrew Lucas (Music
Director of the St Albans Bach Choir since 1998) is Master of the Music at the
Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban, after having been Sub-Organist of St
Paul's Cathedral, London for eight years.
Born in Wellington,
Shropshire in 1958, Andrew studied organ at the Royal College of Music with
John Birch, and composition with Herbert Howells. He graduated with a BMus from
the University of London and continued his organ studies after college with
Peter Hurford. The award of the W T Best Scholarship from the Worshipful
Company of Musicians then enabled him to study with Piet Kee at the Sweelinck
Conservatoire, Amsterdam.
Andrew has been
Director of Music of St James' Church, Sussex Gardens, London, and later of St
Vedast-alias-Foster in the City of London. His career at St Paul's Cathedral
began in 1980 (as organ student) and he became subsequently Assistant
Sub-Organist (1985) and Sub-Organist and Assistant Director of Music
(19901998). In his time at St Paul's he made over 25 commercial
recordings
with the Cathedral Choir and a soloist for the Hyperion, Naxos and Mirabilis
labels.
As an organ soloist
he plays concerts throughout the UK and has given recitals in Norway, Sweden,
Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Bermuda and the
USA. In 1997 he spent three months on sabbatical as Organist and Master of the
Choristers at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia.
As conductor, Andrew
has been Chorus Master of the London Concert Choir, assistant conductor of the
City of London Choir and deputy chorus master for Laszlo Heltay with the Royal
Choral Society, the Brighton Festival Chorus and the Academy of St
Martin's-in-the-Fields Chorus and for David Hill with the Philharmonia Chorus.
He directed the annual Choir Directors' Course at St Thomas Church, Fifth
Avenue, NYC in 2007.
Since Andrew took up
his position as Master of the Music at St Albans Cathedral, the Cathedral Choir
has toured Sweden, France (twice), The Netherlands, Rome and the Eastern
seaboard of the USA, made several broadcasts (including Choral Evensong on
Radio 3 and morning service on both BBC and ITV) and sung at the late Queen
Mother's 100th birthday celebrations. A recording of Stanford's
Bible
Songs was released, to critical acclaim, in 2000 on the Priory label
and one of
Christmas
music on the Lammas label in 2001. A CD of
German
Romantic choral works was issued in 2005. He was Artistic Director of
the St Albans International Organ
Festival from 1999 to 2007, directing four festivals in all. He was
made an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians in 2006. |