About Andrew

Continuo player with own harpsichord. Available nationwide. A=392 - 465hz.

Organist

York

Andrew Passmore combines his position of Assistant Director of Music at Queen Anne’s School, Caversham, with freelance continuo work. Under the supervision of Peter Seymour and Jo Wainwright, Andrew undertook a PhD on the motets of Alessandro Grandi (1586-1630) at the University of York. He performs regularly with Yorkshire Baroque Soloists and London Concertante, and he is co-founder of Nouvelle|Ancienne, a chamber ensemble formed in 2011 with his wife, Nia. Nouvelle|Ancienne performed at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and is currently working on a project with author Gerit Quealy on music associated with Shakespeare’s works. Andrew performed Bach’s St John Passion with the Gabrieli Consort at the Eilat Festival in Israel, and solo performances have included Handel’s organ concerto Op.4 No.4, and Poulenc’s organ concerto. Andrew’s single-manual harpsichord was built in 2011 by Alan Gotto (Norwich), and is a copy of a Parisian instrument from around 1667.

Andrew's Reviews

The chamber orchestra Nouvelle/Ancienne was led by former Abbey chorister and now Doctor of Music Andrew Passmore. While we didn’t have the lutes, viols and sackbuts of the 1610 version, we did have lots of candles and an organ which emitted a strange red glow. The work opened dramatically, if rather stridently, on two trumpets high in the organ loft with a theme from Monteverdi‘s opera Orfeo, recycled presumably on the principle that if you’ve got a good tune you should make the most of it. There were too many memorable moments to mention, but the sensual love duet for sopranos, Pulchra es, and the tenor duet where one singer echoes the other in Audi coelum, stand out. The vespers end as dramatically as they began, with a reprise of the Orfeo trumpet tune in this performance. A cold evening, a full house and a performance that made it well worthwhile to leave the comfort of the hearth.

“Remember me, but ah! forget my fate”. The final words of Dido as she goes to her death, set to heart-wrenching music by Henry Purcell, and sung by soprano Sarah Holland accompanied by four stringed instruments, moved many of us in the audience to tears. It was the end of Dido and Aeneas, performed by Hexham choir Antiphon, directed by John Roper, and the instrumental and vocal ensemble Nouvelle|Ancienne, led by Andrew Passmore.

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Musicianship

Genres:

Classical, Baroque, Classical crossover, Contemporary classical, Early music, Fanfare, Film / TV music, Medieval music, Musical theatre, Opera, Renaissance, Christmas, Contemporary Christian, Military, Traditional church music

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Instruments:

Organ, Harpsichord, Piano

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Event types:

Concert, Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve

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Other skills:

Arranger, Composer, Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, Repetiteur, Perfect pitch, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Singing teaching, Composition teaching, Accompanist

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