Andrew Morley – Principal Conductor
Andrew trained at Lancaster University and Trinity College of Music where he graduated with distinction and won the Ricordi Prize for conducting. In a career spanning two decades, he has worked with such distinguished soloists as Simon Blendis, Guy Johnston, Stephen Hough, Jennifer Pike, Peter Donohoe, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and many others. He has given the premiere of a new work for ‘DJ’ and ensemble by Gabriel Prokofiev and has prepared orchestras for renowned film composer Debbie Wiseman, and conductors Barry Wordsworth and Ed Gardner. Other highlights include assisting Sir Simon Rattle, Duncan Ward and Matthias Pintscher at the London Symphony Orchestra, performing alongside celebrities such as Jonathan Ross, Henry Kelly and the late Sir Terry Wogan, and broadcasting live on BBC Radio 3.
He looks forward to future engagements with the Norfolk County Youth Orchestra, the Wolsey Orchestra, the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain, Dorking chamber Orchestra, and Wimbledon Symphony, as well as his seventeenth appearance at European Youth Music Week. Andrew has held teaching posts at Lancaster University, Junior Trinity and Oxford Brookes University and continues the roles of musical director with the Junior Trinity Symphony Orchestra, the Essex Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Elstree Concert Band, and St. Paul’s Sinfonia, the latter of which he has conducted in over a hundred and thirty concerts.
In February 2004 Andrew was awarded first prize at the Allianz-Cornhill Musical Insurance Conducting Competition (formerly the prestigious British Reserve competition) having received unanimous votes from both jury and orchestra. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Florian Cooper – Guest Conductor
Florian studied music at Durham University, where he focused on conducting and research into the composer Shostakovich. Florian is a multi-instrumentalist (cello, bass and piano), enjoys many genres of music and is an active music director of musical theatre, big bands and shows. He is Musical Director of the London-based Seven Steps Big Band, a 20-piece jazz ensemble. As orchestrator and arranger in genres from big band to orchestral, his work has been performed extensively in the UK and abroad.
Florian has devoted much of his professional life to nurturing and inspiring young musicians and is proud to be the Head of Brentwood School of Music, following 10 years as Director of Music. Florian is extremely proud of the school’s trail-blazing music programme which includes over 80 annual performances, a fully funded specialist programme, an annual international competition and partnership with Steinway and Sons and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.