Andrew Nethsingha

Performing in North America, South Africa, the Far East, and throughout Europe, Andrew Nethsingha was Director of Music at St John’s College, Cambridge from 2007 to 2022. He has released over 25 albums with the Choir of St John’s. He helped to set up the recording label, ‘St John’s Cambridge’, in conjunction with Signum Classics. The first release on this label, DEO (music by Jonathan Harvey), was a 2017 BBC Music Magazine Award winner. Six recent albums have been ‘Editor’s Choice’ in Gramophone Magazine. Pious Anthems & Voluntaries (music by Michael Finnissy) was runner-up in the Contemporary category of the 2021 Gramophone Awards. His announcement that in future the St John’s Choir will include male and female voices, both adults and children, was hailed by Classic FM as “one of the 10 defining classical moments of 2021.”
Andrew Nethsingha was a chorister at Exeter Cathedral, under his father’s direction. He later studied at the Royal College of Music, where he won seven prizes, and at St John’s College, Cambridge. He held Organ Scholarships under Christopher Robinson at St George’s Windsor, and George Guest at St John’s, before becoming Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral. He was subsequently Director of Music at Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals, and Artistic Director of the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival.
Andrew’s concerts conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra have included: Mahler’s 8th Symphony, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem, Brahms’ Requiem, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and The Kingdom, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Poulenc’s Gloria and Duruflé’s Requiem. He has also worked with: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra of St Luke’s (New York), Aarhus Symfoniorkester, and BBC Concert Orchestra. Venues have included the BBC Proms, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Singapore Esplanade.
In January 2023 Andrew moved to a new post as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey.
Caroline Gill, Gramophone Magazine
Gramophone