Andrew Watts (born 29 December 1967) is a British classical countertenor.
Education and background
Andrew Watts was born in Hammersmith, Middlesex. He moved to Iver in Berkshire with his family in his early years and was educated at Slough Grammar school. He studied clarinet, piano and voice and at 16 he started studying both voice and clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music's junior school. He enrolled as a full-time student at the Royal Academy at 18 where he trained in singing and was awarded his DipRAM (later appointed ARAM) and his Licentiate. He was elected a fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010 where he currently teaches singing. He currently is also a vocal coach to the Jette Parker young artists at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and gives vocal masterclasses regularly both in the UK and abroad including regularly teaching at the Hamburg Staatsoper and Dartington International Summer School. He was trained by a number of individuals over the years but received most of his training from Geoffrey Mitchell, David Pollard and Russell Smythe.[1]
Performance and career
Watts has sung every genre of contemporary and classical music on the operatic stage and in concert and has become one of the most respected countertenor singers in contemporary and new music[2] and in 2016 was shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society awards in the Singer category.[3] Over his career he has fostered numerous close relationships with living composers and has inspired numerous new works for the countertenor voice. Noteworthy operas with parts written specifically for Watts include The Navigator (Liza Lim), Duchess of Malfi (Torsten Rasch), Alice in Wonderland (Unsuk Chin), Between Worlds (Tansy Davies), The Minotaur and Gawain (Harrison Birtwistle), Homage to Klaus Nomi and The Outcast, Lost Highway, Bählamms Fest (Olga Neuwirth).[4] In addition, numerous songs have also been written for Andrew and are to be compiled in an upcoming album The Countertenor Songbook.
Engagements in 2016 include Cherubino in the world premiere of Divorced by Elena Langer for Welsh National Opera, his debut at the Paris Opera as Edgar in the new production of LEAR and concerts at Lucerne Festival and the BBC Proms. Future performances include debuts for Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Badisches Staatstheater and Vienna Staatsoper, returns to Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opera de Lyon and Teatro Real, Madrid and concerts with BBCSO and Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.[5][6]
Recordings
Boyce, David’s Lamentation over Saul and Jonatan – ASV/Gaudemus
Boyce Ode for St Cecilia's Day – ASV/Gaudeamus
The NMC Songbook – NMC Records
Harrison Birtwistle, Angel Fighter – NMC Records
Olga Neuwirth, Lost Highway – Kairos Records
Harrison Birtwistle, Orpheus Elegies – Oboe Classics