Music on Thursdays
Andrews Massey Duo Emily Andrews, flute David Massey, guitar courtesy of the Royal Academy of Music |
Supported by: Leatherhead Concert & Arts Society |
Programmefrom their CD ... from the roots
Molly Malone, Early one Morning, Bold Grenadier, Loch Lomond Béla Bartók (1881-1945) Romanian Folk Dances Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) Little White Donkey, Under the Table, The Old Beggar, The Balkis Procession, from "Histoires" Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) Distribution of Flowers Scott Lygate (b1989) Journey Home from their CD ... from the roots Dribbles of Brandy, Wayfaring Stranger, Dance to your Daddy |
The Andrews Massey Duo
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Andrews Massey Duo
 Click for details of their recent CD
"from the roots" (also in digital formats)
Emily Andrews and David Massey met in 2009 at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then
they have both graduated with Distinctions in their Masters degrees, and are
now freelancing in London.
As a duo they have gone from strength to strength: winners of a prestigious Tunnell Trust Award for 2012-2013; semi-finalists in the Royal Overseas League Competition in London in 2012; and regular recitalists throughout the UK, including performances at Kings Place Hall 1, St Martin in the Fields, St James’ Piccadilly, Colston Hall, Wigmore Hall and Lytham St Anne’s, to name a few. Emily and David play many different styles of music, and enjoy programming familiar favourites with lesser-known works. They actively commission new music, including “Journey Home” by Scott Lygate, which was written for their Scottish Tour, and premiered in Stranraer on 31st January 2013. In February 2013 the duo released their first CD, called “…from the Roots”, of their own arrangements of folk music from the British Isles, which has already had fantastic reviews: “a gem of a recording…lovers of the genre, buy with confidence” - audiophilia.com For more information about either player as soloists, or upcoming concerts and repertoire, please see their website: www.andrewsmasseyduo.com “The audience […was…] greatly exhilarated by some impeccable chamber music playing.” - British Flute Society review of St James’ Piccadilly Recital, Dec 2010 “I think you have a very strong, highly individual ensemble” –Nicholas Boyd-Vaughan, St Martin in the Fields, recital Sep 2011 |
- make merry -
a new CD from the Andrews Massey Duo 
click the CD cover above for more details
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BrightYoungFolk.com gives hot review
When classically trained musicians explore the folk repertoire they can be nervous of how the traditional folk audience feels about the results. Rosamund Woodroffe, reviewing the CD for the British folk music website BrightYoungFolk.com, has given "...from the roots" a tremendously positive write-up, and actually feels that the substitution of flute for voice brings something new to one's appreciation of these familiar songs. You can read Rosamund's full review by following this link.
Emily Andrews, flute
Emily Andrews graduated in 2010 with Distinction from her Masters degree in flute performance at the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied with Clare Southworth and Kate Hill. Emily has followed an unusual career path: her undergraduate degree was in Mathematics at Cambridge University, and she worked as an IT consultant for two years before she followed her heart and became a full-time musician.
Emily is a passionate chamber musician as well as a soloist. Her wind trio, The Renard Ensemble are keen performers on the Live Music Now scheme, and have recently been selected as Joint Winners of the Tunnell Trust Award for 2011/2012. She also has a regular duo partnership with guitarist David Massey (The Andrews Massey Duo) with whom she has performed at many music festivals around the country, and at venues including Colston Hall and St James' Piccadilly.
Emily was selected for the Concordia Foundation International Ensemble for 2010-2011, and was also chosen as a Limelight New Artist the same year (with whom she performed at the 100 Club in July 2010). Emily's "exquisite phrasing", beautiful singing tone and natural musicality have been noted by many prominent musicians, including Lorna McGhee, Ransom Wilson, Mark Van de Wiel, Neil Black OBE and William Bennett OBE. The British Flute Society's review of her performance of the Liebermann flute concerto cited Emily as "definitely one of Britain's most promising young professionals".
Emily is a passionate chamber musician as well as a soloist. Her wind trio, The Renard Ensemble are keen performers on the Live Music Now scheme, and have recently been selected as Joint Winners of the Tunnell Trust Award for 2011/2012. She also has a regular duo partnership with guitarist David Massey (The Andrews Massey Duo) with whom she has performed at many music festivals around the country, and at venues including Colston Hall and St James' Piccadilly.
Emily was selected for the Concordia Foundation International Ensemble for 2010-2011, and was also chosen as a Limelight New Artist the same year (with whom she performed at the 100 Club in July 2010). Emily's "exquisite phrasing", beautiful singing tone and natural musicality have been noted by many prominent musicians, including Lorna McGhee, Ransom Wilson, Mark Van de Wiel, Neil Black OBE and William Bennett OBE. The British Flute Society's review of her performance of the Liebermann flute concerto cited Emily as "definitely one of Britain's most promising young professionals".
David Massey, guitar
Since his initial success as a finalist in the 2006 BBC Young Musician competition, David has striven to constantly develop his music making and guitar playing, undertaking numerous solo recitals as well as concertos, chamber music and orchestral parts.
As a soloist he combines familiar pieces with less well-known masterpieces of the repertoire. He has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Sage Gateshead, King's Place, St George's Bristol, amongst others, and been praised for "intense and intimate" performances marked by a "remarkable energy and range of tone and dynamics". After hearing him play, Julian Bream praised his tone and sense of musical architecture.
He has an ongoing duo partnership with flautist Emily Andrews who gave the May 31st Music on Thursdays lunchtime concert here. Their partnership can be followed at www.andrewsmasseyduo.com. They were invited to this year's Tunnell Trust Blair Atholl showcase for young professional chamber groups. David studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Lewin on the MMus course supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council which will focus on producing new arrangements and transcriptions for guitar.
His thirst for new challenges and experiences has led him to engage in the widest spectrum of musical activity available to a guitarist, performing in chamber formations, orchestral and opera parts, including related instruments such as the mandolin, banjo and ukulele, in everything from Mozart to Schoenberg, Gershwin and Bainbridge, as well as electric guitar including a concert of pieces by Frank Zappa as part of the Zappa at the Roundhouse festival 2010. 2011 saw premieres of new pieces for mandolin and harp by Martin Gaughan and guitar and bass clarinet by Scott Lygate.
David also fronts his own rock band, for which he writes the songs. There is no attempt at a fusion of the classical and rock/pop styles, although each discipline informs the other in sometimes surprising ways.
As a soloist he combines familiar pieces with less well-known masterpieces of the repertoire. He has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Sage Gateshead, King's Place, St George's Bristol, amongst others, and been praised for "intense and intimate" performances marked by a "remarkable energy and range of tone and dynamics". After hearing him play, Julian Bream praised his tone and sense of musical architecture.
He has an ongoing duo partnership with flautist Emily Andrews who gave the May 31st Music on Thursdays lunchtime concert here. Their partnership can be followed at www.andrewsmasseyduo.com. They were invited to this year's Tunnell Trust Blair Atholl showcase for young professional chamber groups. David studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Lewin on the MMus course supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council which will focus on producing new arrangements and transcriptions for guitar.
His thirst for new challenges and experiences has led him to engage in the widest spectrum of musical activity available to a guitarist, performing in chamber formations, orchestral and opera parts, including related instruments such as the mandolin, banjo and ukulele, in everything from Mozart to Schoenberg, Gershwin and Bainbridge, as well as electric guitar including a concert of pieces by Frank Zappa as part of the Zappa at the Roundhouse festival 2010. 2011 saw premieres of new pieces for mandolin and harp by Martin Gaughan and guitar and bass clarinet by Scott Lygate.
David also fronts his own rock band, for which he writes the songs. There is no attempt at a fusion of the classical and rock/pop styles, although each discipline informs the other in sometimes surprising ways.
Written by Peter Horsfield, in response to the Andrews-Massey concert:
Duo (Haibun)
folk songs
from their tangled roots
unique every time
wordless meaning
rich textures from the heart
communicate
haunting melodies
integrate air and strings
catchy rhythms
On the seat beside her lie three flutes of different sizes; silver, gold, black. With spontaneous
joy she glides from one to another, even in the midst of the music.
Guitar blends poignantly, focused in the moment, disciplined, yet liberated by absence of
musical score. His supple fingers move with coordinated precision. Clip-on extension,
increasing now to ten strings, adds deep sonority.
eyes contact
body language
play together
at ease
willing to experiment
total trust
We in the audience are transported to a Higher Realm, at one with the creative process,
manifest in the music channelled by this pair.
© Peter Horsfield 2/8/2013
Inspired by the recital given by Emily Andrews and David Massey in Leatherhead Methodist Church,
Surrey, on 1st August 2013 – a Music on Thursdays lunchtime concert.
Haibun: Essentially haibun is a combination of prose and one or more haiku, in a free-wheeling way without rules concerning length and overall structure. It seemed that the feeling of improvisation and intuition was an appropriate way to treat this subject. Peter Horsfield
