Andrew Swait - Biography
After his voice broke in 2008, Andrew was pleased to accept a very generous music scholarship to
Cheltenham College
. He is currently studying voice with Stephen Connolly, piano with Jeremy Carter, cello with Michal Kaznowskiand organ with Alexander Ffinch in Cheltenham College Chapel. He currently sings as a Bass/Baritone in Cheltenham College Chapel Choir and Chamber Choir. To read more about his current voice see his "Current" page.
Andrew was born in Coaxdon Hall, Axminster Devon in 1994. Both Andrew and his sister Emily have always had music as part of their lives.
When Andrew was three the family moved to Gloucestershire, so that both children could attend the Waldorf School. There music continued to be integrated into the daily routine, celebrations of the seasons and festivals. The following year Andrew was told his life must be that of a chorister, by a friend of the family and layclerk of Winchester Cathedral, Adrian Hutton. At 6 he took up his place at The Abbey School, Tewkesbury with a chorister's scholarship. At 7 he became one of the youngest to receive a surplice at the final initiation by Michael Tavener (then Vicar of Tewkesbury Abbey) of probationers into the choir.
Life until the age of 11 was punctuated with concerts, recordings, and most importantly of all for Andrew, the daily sung service of Evensong at Tewkesbury Abbey. In 2005, at the age of ten, a TV Documentary featured Andrew and his life as a chorister. By the end of that year he appeared on his first disc as principal soloist, Light of the World, which was completed in record-breaking time by Signum Records, with Adrian Peacock as producer.
Upon the very sad closure of the The Abbey School in July 2006 and the end of The Abbey School Choir, Andrew recorded as part of the choir's final CD Choral Evensong from Tewkesbury Abbey released in 2006. In July he also gratefully accepted a chance to record a small part on the King's Singers CD Landscape & Time with Signum Records, which was released in January 2007 to great acclaim.
He then enjoyed from 2006, as a pupil of Cheltenham College Junior School; there he was supported very successfully through Common Entrance, as well as all his singing commitments.
In October 2006 Andrew entered the Chorister of the Year 2006 competition with a view to recording again and was a selected as a finalist. His performance of My Song is Love Unknown, accompanied by organist Robert Quinney, and Bob Chilcott's Midwinter were broadcast from Westminster Abbey on BBC Radio 2 on November 5th, 2006.
In May 2007 he was invited by Universal Records to join the classical boy-band The Choirboys, whose Christmas disc The Carols Album entered the Classic FM charts at no. 7 and was nominated for the Classical Brit Awards, 2008.
As a treble he was also invited as soloist to perform with the City of Birmingham Choir, Cheltenham Bach Choir, Oriel Singers, Regency Voices and to sing around the world from Tewkesbury Abbey, Aldeburgh, and Gloucester Cathedral to Beijing, Krakow and Kiyv.
Two recordings to reflect the range and scope of the treble voice in both solo and choral music represent Andrew's two final treble projects. The first of these, Songs of Innocence, was completed in September 2007, just before his thirteenth birthday. This selection of twentieth-century English and American songs – including, he is proud to announce, four world premieres by Britten – was released on Signum Records in July, 2008. Andrew is honoured that James Bowman and Andrew Plant very kindly agreed to join him on the disc and for considerable support from The Britten-Pears Foundation.
The second recording, SALVE PUERULE, Choral and Organ, was also released in 2008 for which he is extremely grateful to Cheltenham College for their support. The CD was created with the Chamber Choir of Trinity College of Music, Alexander Ffinch (organist, Cheltenham College Chapel), directed by Stephen Jackson (director, BBC Symphony Chorus) and produced by Adrian Peacock (producer, and BBC Singer). This recording also includes works seldom or never before recorded or performed and represents Andrew's last recording as a treble.
Andrew acknowledges that what he achieves is largely due to the privilege of having had a proper choral training, as well as the support of the professionals with which he has been privileged to work.
2008 - CURRENT