Andrew Lawrence-King

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Andrew Lawrence-King (born in Guernsey September 3, 1959) is a harpist and early music specialist, and is currently the director of The Harp Consort. He also is also a conductor who directs from one of several continuo instruments, including harp, organ, harpsichord & psaltery ^[1].

1 Early Career
2 Recent projects
3 Accolades
4 Performances
5 Current activities
6 References
7 External Links

[edit] Early Career

His musical career began as Head Chorister at the Cathedral and Parish Church of St Peter Port Guernsey, whence he won an Organ Scholarship to Cambridge, completing his studies at the London Early Music Centre.^[2] He established himself as a continuo-player with Europe's foremost specialist ensembles and in 1988 founded and co-directed the continuo-group Tragicomedia. He joined Jordi Savall's Hesperion XX as harp soloist, and was appointed Professor of Harp and Continuo at the Akademie für Alte Musik, Bremen.

In 1994 Andrew Lawrence-King formed his own ensemble, The Harp Consort, and was immediately signed up by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi for a seven-year series of solo and ensemble recordings:

Luz y Norte, the medieval 'opera' Ludus Danielis
Italian Concerto, on which he is both conductor and concerto soloist
La púrpura de la rosa, the first New World opera

His recital CDs include The Harp of Luduvico (Spanish & Italian renaissance) La Harpe Royale (French Baroque), His Majesty’s Harper (Dowland & Byrd) and The Secret of the Semitones (Bach), and he has also recorded Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & Handel's first opera, Almira.

[edit] Recent projects

The Harp Consort now records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi USA. Their chart-topping first release was Missa Mexicana: festive polyphony and popular dances from 17th-century Mexico. Their second CD, Miracles (songs by Gautier de Coincy, 13th -century Prior of Vic) won the Dutch “Edison” award: it was also Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice & London Telegraph CD of the Year. Their latest release is El Arte de Fantasía: dances, tientos & chansons from the Spanish Golden Age.

Andrew Lawrence-King conducted a staged production of Peri’s [[Euridice]] at the Los Angeles Getty Centre for the 400th anniversary of the earliest opera, and this season will direct Handel’s Almira for the Helsinki Stadia.^[3]

[edit] Accolades

His work on 17th-century dances with Steven Player & The Harp Consort has won the ensemble an unparalleled reputation for stylish and entertaining stage-shows, and his duo album with Paul Hillier was chosen by Elvis Costello as record of the year in Rolling Stone magazine. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Sheffield University for his achievements in Baroque opera.

[edit] Performances

He has led baroque operas and oratorios at:

La Scala, Milan
Sydney Opera House
Casals Hall, Tokyo
Berlin Philharmonie
Vienna Konzerthaus
New York’s Carnegie Hall
Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes.

[edit] Current activities

Andrew Lawrence-King now divides his time between solo recitals, tours with The Harp Consort, and appearances as guest director for orchestras, choirs and baroque operas in Europe, Scandinavia and the Americas, interspersed with worldwide performances of Luz y norte and Missa Mexicana. He is Professor of Early Harp & Continuo at the Escuela Superior de Musica de Catalunya (ESMUC) in Barcelona, and has been awarded a three-year fellowship by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council AHRB to research Spanish Baroque music-drama. His first solo recital for Harmonia Mundi USA will be Chorégraphie: Music for Louis XIV’s Dancing Masters.^[4]

A keen sailor, Andrew holds the Royal Yachting Association's Ocean Yachtmaster certificate, and spends most of his free time aboard his boat, ‘Continuo’. His enjoyment of the sea is expressed in his revival of Guernesiaise traditional music, Les Travailleurs de la Mer: Ancient Songs from a Small Island.