| Biography | Born in Jamaica, with a Russian ancestry, Andrew Gourlay grew up in the Bahamas, Philippines, Japan and England. A trombonist and pianist by training, he won a Postgraduate Scholarship to study conducting at the Royal College of Music in London, where he prepared Bruckner symphonies for Bernard Haitink and Mozart symphonies for Sir Roger Norrington. He was selected by Gramophone magazine as their 'One to Watch', and by BBC Music Magazine as their 'Rising Star: great artists of tomorrow'.
In 2010 Gourlay enjoyed the double success of taking First Prize at the Cadaques International Conducting Competition, securing concerts with 29 orchestras around the world, and of being appointed to the two-year post of Assistant Conductor to Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra and Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra.
Gourlay has conducted recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra, Irish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has replaced Sir Colin Davis at the Barbican on two separate occasions, and worked as Cover Conductor for both Valery Gergiev and Kurt Masur.
Opera engagements have included Rusalka and La Tragédie de Carmen, as Staff Music Director of English Touring Opera, and The Marriage of Figaro at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School. He has worked as Assistant Conductor for Glyndebourne Festival Opera.
Guest engagements include conducting the BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony, Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestra of Opera North, RTÉ Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Rostov Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile and orchestras throughout Spain.
A professional trombonist until his mid twenties, Gourlay played with the Philharmonia, Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Sinfonietta and Opera North, and toured South America and Europe as a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester under Claudio Abbado. Chamber music highlights included winning the Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition.
Gourlay has presented The Early Music Show on BBC Radio 3 along with several features broadcast on the same station. |