Andrew Swait

scan by Luap

treble boy soprano

'Now and again a choir director finds he has an exceptional voice at his disposal, and so it is here that we can feature the outstandingly colourful tone quality and musicianship of treble Andrew Swait, only ten years old as we record. His voice was the original inspiration for this disc.'

Andrew Swait was just ten years old when he recorded 'Light of the World' in October 2005 as an Abbey School Chorister. His prodigious talent was spotted at the age of only five, and steeped in the musical whirlwind of a chorister's life, his remarkable musicianship has flourished. 
In addition to many hours of singing both at the Abbey and elsewhere, Andrew also plays the piano and cello and still finds time to go to concerts and follow the careers of his idols - Kirkby, Padmore, Terfel, Scholl and Isserlis - with a bit of live jazz thrown in too. Andrew's passions don't stop at music. He takes extra-curricular Mandarin lessons which he started aged 6 (he has even sung in Chinese), and he devotes many-an-hour to his Airfix modelling of WWI and WWII air and sea craft with just as much dedication and enthusiasm as he affords his musical and academic life. 

Andrew Swait now has his own official website at:

http://www.andrewswait.co.uk/

Andrew Swait was also the subject of a half-hour documentary broadcast on Channel 5 as part of the series 'A Different Life' more...

Recent News - from Andrew Swait

Upon the closure of the Abbey Schoool in September 2006 Andrew was given a choral scholarship to Cheltenham College where he continues his work as a chorister. In the
last days of the Abbey School Andrew recorded the choir's final performance on the CD "Choral Evensong from Tewkesbury Abbey" released in October 2006. In July he also gratefully accepted a chance to record on the King's Singers CD released in November 2006 Landscape & Time with Signum Records. 

Andrew entered the Chorister of the Year 2006 competition with a view to recording again and was a selected as a finalist. His performance of My Soul is Love Untold,
accompanied by organist Robert Quinney, and Bob Chilcott's Midwinter were broadcast from Westminster Abbey on BBC Radio 2 on November 5th, 2006. 

Discography

The Light of the World (2005)
Signum Records SIGCD068
With Andrew Swait - treble and The Abbey School Choir, Tewkesbury directed by Benjamin Nicholas
01 Eternal source of light - Handel 
02 Sanctus - Walter Alcock 
03 Nunc Dimittis - Geoffrey Burgon 
04 Light of the world - John Dankworth
05 I waited for the lord - Mendelssohn (with Thomas Ooi - treble)
06 How beautiful are the feet - Handel 
07 Blessed be the god and father - Samuel Sebastian Wesley
08 Ave Maria - Schubert
09 The angels' goodnight - Schumann
10 Long since in Egypt's plenteous land - Hubert Parry (Tom Hewlett - treble)
11 Brother James air - trad. arr. M.Archer
12 Balulalow - Britten
13 This little babe - Britten
14 The Lord bless you and keep you - John Rutter
15 Pie Jesu - Gabriel Fauré
16 Ave verum corpus - Colin Mawby
17 I would be true - trad. 
18 Ave verum corpus - Mozart
19 Ubi caritas et amor - Morten Lauridsen
20 A Gaelic blessing - John Rutter 
21 Amazing Grace - Trad.
Andrew Swait sings solo on tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,15,17,21

Lyrics

Available at   Presto Classical, Leamington Spa
Available at   The Abbey School

Landscape & Time (2006)
Signum Records SIGCD090, CD
With Andrew Swait, boy soprano and The King's Singers
In this far-ranging program (from the Orkneys to the American desert, from Finland, Estonia, and England to Hungary and Japan), landscape and time interact with each other, intertwining to give expression to the differing personal responses of the poets and composers represented.