Andrew Powell facts for kids

Andrew Powell (born April 18, 1949) is a British musician. He is a talented composer, who writes music, an arranger, who helps put music together, and a performer. He was born in England, but his parents were Welsh. In 2003, he moved to Wales.

Andrew Powell's Early Life

Andrew Powell was born in Surrey, England. He started playing the piano when he was just four years old! Later, he went to King's College School, Wimbledon. By then, he was also learning to play the viola, violin, and orchestral percussion (like drums and cymbals).

He began writing his own music at age eleven. He even studied composition with famous composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti in Germany. After that, he earned a master's degree in music from King's College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he joined an electronic music group called Intermodulation. He also played bass and drums in a progressive rock band called Henry Cow.

Andrew Powell's Musical Journey

After finishing his studies at Cambridge, Andrew Powell had his first big professional performance in London in 1970. He played with orchestras like the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He also started working as a "session player," which means he played instruments for recordings. He even formed a group called "Come to the Edge."

Becoming a Music Arranger

Andrew Powell's career as an arranger began around this time. An arranger takes a song and decides which instruments will play which parts, making the music sound full and exciting. His first job was for the band Cockney Rebel. He also arranged music for many other artists, including Leo Sayer, John Miles (for his song "Music"), Donovan, Cliff Richard, and Al Stewart.

Working with The Alan Parsons Project

Andrew Powell was an important part of The Alan Parsons Project. He worked on their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, as an arranger, conductor, and composer. He continued to arrange and conduct for almost all of their albums. He even made an orchestral album of their songs called The Philharmonia Orchestra Plays The Best of The Alan Parsons Project.

Producing Music for Kate Bush

Andrew Powell also worked as a music producer. A producer helps an artist create their album, guiding the recording process. He produced Kate Bush's first demo tape and her first album, The Kick Inside, in 1978. He also helped produce her second album, Lionheart.

Film Scores and Conducting

Andrew Powell wrote the music for movies like Ladyhawke and Rocket Gibraltar. He has also contributed to many other movies and TV shows. He has conducted (led) orchestras and music groups all over the world. These include the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Andrew Powell's Recent Work

More recently, Andrew Powell has continued to arrange and conduct music. He worked on Wow & Flutter for Wouter Van Belle. He also writes music for brass bands, like the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

His piece Living Stones was first performed in Wales in 2007. Another piece, Glasiad y dydd dros Ben Dinas, was performed at the City of London Festival in 2008.

In 2017, after almost 30 years, he wrote music for a science fiction short film called Here We Go Again, Rubinot!.

Andrew Powell is also the artistic director of BluestoneArts. This company helps promote music, words, and visual arts in north Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Andrew Powell's Personal Life

Andrew Powell moved to Wales in 2003. Before moving, he started learning the Welsh language. He is now a fluent speaker!

See Also

In Spanish: Andrew Powell para niños