Andrew York is one of today’s best loved composers for classical guitar and a performer of international stature. His compositions blend the styles of ancient eras with modern musical directions, creating music that is at once vital, multi-leveled and accessible. Andrew received a GRAMMY as a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet during his sixteen years with the cutting-edge ensemble. York’s compositions have been featured on GRAMMY-winning recordings by Jason Vieaux (CD Play, featuring Andrew’s iconic composition “Sunburst”, 2015) and Sharon Isbin (CD Journey to the New World featuring “Andecy”, 2010). In 2006 Andrew recorded and performed with the Atlanta Symphony for the opera Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov. The recording of Ainadamar (Deutsche Gramophone) won two GRAMMY awards.
Andrew’s video Home has received millions of views, with Andrew playing his recent hit on a vintage Torres guitar built in 1888.
Andrew has released CDs on Sony-U.S., Sony-Japan, King Records (Japan), Telarc, GSP and Delos labels, as well as inclusion on Rhino Records “Legends of Guitar” and numerous other compilations. Andrew’s 2010 CD release Centerpeace offers individual collaborations with guitarist Andy Summers, and pianists Mitsuko Kado and Allaudin Mathieu.
Andrew’s most recent recordings “Home” and “The Equations of Beauty,” were released on both vinyl LP and two separate EP/CDs. The recordings include the single “Home” and the 26-minute suite “The Equations of Beauty,” based on mathematics.
Andrew’s solo recording “Yamour” was released on vinyl as a double LP album, and garnered the number one spot in Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Essential Recordings of 2012 by editor Teja Gerken. Commenting on the more than eighty minutes of new pieces for solo guitar he composed for this major work, Andrew says, “When I write I feel a connection to my spirit and the joy and sorrow of life. My entire life comes into focus and there is no separation between me as a boy, a young man and now in my later years.”
In Andrew’s concerts the theater becomes a living room, and the musical conversation begins with the first note. His authenticity has inspired a worldwide following, with his touring schedule spanning more than thirty countries. International concerts include Rome, Lima, Beijing, Copenhagen, Ankara, Munich, Manhattan, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Andrew’s sixteenth tour of Japan.
In film, Andrew performs in the live documentary Primal Twang, written and hosted by eminent musician and storyteller Dan Crary, with other artists Eric Johnson, Albert Lee, Doc Watson, and Mason Williams.
York’s compositions have also been recorded by guitar luminaries John Williams and Christopher Parkening, Sharon Isbin, Jason Vieaux, Dai Kimura, and Japanese pianist Mitsuko Kado. In addition, generations of younger guitarists make Andrew’s music a staple of their repertoire in their performances and studies. As a published composer, prior to creating his own publishing company, York’s works have appeared in print worldwide through Alfred Publications, Hal Leonard, Mel Bay Publications, Guitar Solo Publications, Doberman-Yppan in Canada, Ricordi in London, and Gendai in Japan.
As an entrepreneur, Andrew is CEO of Majian Music, a publishing house that handles Andrew’s catalog of more than a hundred original solo and ensemble compositions. And in 2019, Andrew launched the subscription website Andrew’s Den, which has hundreds of subscribers and hosts content of more than seventy-two hours of teaching videos.
A love of music was instilled at an early age; Andrew’s father was a guitarist and his mother a professional singer. Family reunions abounded with folk music ranging from frontier American to English and Celtic traditional songs.
Andrew crosses over stylistic boundaries with an unusual authority — besides his classical contribution, he also has an extensive background as a jazz guitarist, studying with jazz legends Joe Diorio and Lenny Breau. As a classical musician, Andrew was awarded a grant from the Del Amo Foundation for Study in Spain. Andrew received his Master of Music degree from University of Southern California, and is the only USC graduate in the school’s history to twice receive the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award in 1997 as a member of LAGQ and in 2003 as the sole recipient. Andrew is a member of the Triple Nine Society.