Born in Rochford, Essex, Jemma Andrews began her musical training on the cornet at the age of 4. She continued learning and performing in several local ensembles including Thundersley Brass Band and Essex Youth Orchestra. In 2008, Jemma was given a place at the Junior Guildhall school of Music and Drama, where she studied for three years with Richard Jones. Jemma then went on to gain further experience at Trinity College of Music for a gap year programme in 2010/2011 where she obtained the ATCL performance diploma. She then completed her BMus (Hons) degree, graduating from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2016. There she studied with top professors Paul Mayes, Stephen Keavy, Paul Cosh and Noel Langley.
In the past few years, Jemma has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as an extra at the Royal Albert Hall, at Buckingham Palace with Docklands Sinfonia and also at the BBC Proms as 1st Cornet with the National Youth Wind Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. Jemma has also been heard on BBC Radio 3 in Docklands Sinfonia as part of the ‘light fantastic’ festival in Maida Vale Studios.
Since completing her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Jemma continues to teach the trumpet as a peripatetic and private tutor in addition to being a freelance musician around London and the South East. Jemma also has a passion for collaborating with others and working with various art forms. She is a versatile trumpeter having played in many musical settings, including symphony orchestras, big bands, brass bands, jazz ensembles and musical theatre bands. In addition to this, Jemma is currently in two duos, one with a trombonist named ‘The Brass Diamonds’ and the other named ‘La Rosa Serenata’ with a classical singer, who both also studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Jemma is extremely interested in projects involving special needs. She is a regular guest performer with the Music Man Project, which is the UK’s first full time music education service for adults with learning disabilities. With this group, Jemma has performed at various venues in London and Essex including The Salvation Army Regent Hall, The Royal College of Music and will be performing with them at The London Palladium later this year.
In her spare time, Jemma enjoys Ballroom and Latin dancing. She occasionally competes in competitions and takes exams, having recently obtained her Ballroom Student Teacher Certificate.
