Andrew Plant studied piano
and harpsichord in Leeds and London. After taking a BA in Music and a PGCE
at Leeds University, he was appointed Assistant Director of Music at Bury
Grammar School, Lancashire, later teaching at Stamford School. Until recently
he taught many of the music scholars at Uppingham, a post he relinquished
on being appointed to the staff of the Britten-Pears Library, under whose
auspices he is also Holst Librarian to the Britten-Pears School. He has compiled
exhaustive worklists of Warlock, Hadley and Darnton for A Dictionary of British
Composers 1893-1923 and contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Music
& Musicians (Grove 7 - forthcoming) and Peter Warlock: a Centenary
Celebration (Thames). He is currently researching for a Ph.D. at the University
of Birmingham, where he was a Visiting Lecturer for the academic year 1998-1999.
For many years he was a lay clerk in the Choir of Peterborough Cathedral with whom he broadcast, recorded and appeared as a soloist with the L.F.O. In addition, he has sung with the Choirs of Manchester Cathedral, Pembroke College, Oxford, and in America, Canada, France and Italy. As an accompanist he has broadcast on N.B.C. and is much in demand, particularly with singers. His regular recital partnership with the baritone Ralph McDonald is well-known and they have appeared at theatres and music clubs throughout the UK.
A CD, with Ian Ford boy alto (of the Cambridgeshire Boys' Choir), containing several first recordings, was released in April 1997 and has received widespread acclaim. Other collaborators have included Freddie Bols treble (Head Chorister, S. John's College, Cambridge), Nigel Dixon counter-tenor (of The Scholars), Christopher Dolby tenor, Robert Carpenter Turner baritone, Simon Kirkbride baritone, Deirdre Summerlin 'cello, and the flautists Peter Pearse and Gavin Tate-Lovery, in addition to regular work as Assistant Music Director and accompanist to the Peterborough Children's Choir. He composes occasionally and is also a fluent and enterprising arranger, particularly for the voice, of musical material from diverse sources. Future plans include recitals in Goa, India with Ralph McDonald and Nigel Dixon.
Andrew Plant may be contacted at
The Britten-Pears Library, The Red House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5PZ
e-mail: andrew@piano.softnet.co.uk
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