Andrew Cantrill

Andrew Cantrill is a British-born organist and choral director.

He was born in 1971 and educated at Reigate Grammar School, Barnard Castle School and the University of Durham. His organ teachers have included the late Susi Jeans, James Lancelot, Peter Wright and Gerre Hancock (improvisation).

After graduating in 1992, he was appointed Organist & Director of Music at St. George's Church, Belfast. There he was responsible for the choir of men and boys, and the St George’s Singers and Orchestra. Two years later, he took up the post of Organist & Master of the Choristers at Grimsby Parish Church, the only parish church in Britain to have its own choir school (there are in fact two such schools, the other being Reigate St Mary's). During the next three years he directed the five weekly choral services, took the choir on tour to London, Iceland and Germany, and recorded two critically acclaimed CDs for the Cantoris label. The Yorkshire Post described the Choristers of Grimsby Parish Church as “a revelation – the only parish church choir in Britain able to take on the big hitters of the International recording market and leave them all standing”.

Andrew moved to New Zealand in 1999, where he was Organist & Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, and Musical Director of the Orpheus Choir of Wellington. Under his direction, the cathedral choirs toured to Europe, broadcast on Concert FM, sang for HM The Queen and appeared with the Hollywood composer Howard Shore in a concert of music from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The cathedral choir's recording of Advent music received a warm critical response: "The Wellington Cathedral Choir deserves to be ranked among the finest exemplars of the Anglican choral tradition anywhere in the world." (The Diapason, August 2006). During his time in New Zealand, Andrew was responsible for founding St Paul's Baroque, a period instrument orchestra, and the Cathedral Festival of Music & the Arts, and was much in demand as a choral clinician. As an organist, Andrew was appointed tutor in organ at the Massey University Conservatorium of Music, often broadcast live on Radio NZ, appeared as a soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, toured and recorded. With the Orpheus Choir of Wellington he regularly conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Wellington Sinfonia. Under his direction, the Orpheus Choir achieved new heights of excellence: "I've rarely heard the Orpheus Choir singing with such urgency or keen focus… [Andrew Cantrill] has made a choir, already burnished under his predecessor, into an even more virtuosic ensemble." (Dominion Post, New Zealand). The Orpheus Youth Chorus, a choir for secondary school students, was established in September 2000.

After five years in New Zealand, Andrew moved to Buffalo, New York to take up the position of Organist-Choirmaster at St Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. The cathedral choir of men & boys was founded in 1867, making it one of the first to be formed in the United States, and the cathedral girls' choir has a long and distinguished history. From 2004-2007, Andrew directed the six weekly services, conducted many concert appearances (including a performance of the Monteverdi 'Vespers'), and took the cathedral choirs on tour to New York City, Richmond, Virginia, England, France & Sweden. He was responsible for broadening the choirs' already extensive repertoire and for reinstating the three mid-week services of choral evensong. He was succeeded by Jeremy Bruns of St Thomas Church, New York.

From August 2007 to January 2008 Andrew was Director of Music at Crediton Parish Church in Devon, UK and Master of the Choir at Bramdean School, Exeter, UK.

He is currently Director of Music at Croydon Parish Church in Croydon, UK.