Andy Tweed

Andy was born in 1963 and he grew up in Northern Ireland. Some of his first musical experiences were with the Lurgan Military Band on clarinet and saxophone where he had to learn to march and play simultaneously (recommended to any budding player). The original career was to be engineering but inability to study and pass exams pushed him towards his first love, music. He successfully auditioned on clarinet for Birmingham School of Music where he studied with Ruth McDowell and saxophone with Jan Steele. He joined Saxtet while still at music college and over the past nearly 20 years it has become one the UK’s leading saxophone groups performing their own compositions and arrangements. His performing credits include; Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Syd Lawrence Orchestra, CBSO, BCMG, London Musici, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He also performs regularly with his wife, the accordionist Karen Street in a jazz duo.

Andy is in great demand as a teacher. He currently is visiting tutor of saxophone at Birmingham Conservatoire and Wells Cathedral School, the internationally renowned specialist music school. Prior to his move to Wells Andy taught for many years at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Junior Dept. Every summer he is a coach with European Youth Summer Music.

He has produced or co-produced all of Saxtet’s and all of Karen Street’s CDs and recently produced his own – Spiritualise – released on Big Shed Music. This is a recording of some of the best jazz/classical crossover saxophone compositions starting with Schulhoff’s Hot Sonata through Phil Woods Sonata, to Nigel Wood’s Cries of the Stentor and a new composition by Hans Koller for Baritone sax and piano. In 2008 he recorded CD of contemporary music as part of a new group, Flotilla created by Kyle Horch.

He has music published by Boosey & Hawkes and Saxtet Publications and he writes reviews for Music Teacher Magazine.