A tribute to Andrew Greenwood

It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of British opera conductor Andrew Greenwood on Saturday 16 January.

Andrew was a highly respected and much-loved colleague in the School of Vocal Studies and Opera, making regularly visits in recent years to work with students as a conductor and coach. In 2015 he conducted RNCM Opera’s award-winning production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Best Opera, Manchester Theatre Award), returning in 2017 to conduct Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne and in 2019 for Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites.

Educated at Manchester Grammar School and Clare College, Cambridge, Andrew began his career in 1977 as a repetiteur at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, before becoming Chorus Master of Welsh National Opera, where he stayed until 1990. Since then he conducted for many opera companies in Britain and Europe (including ENO and the Royal Danish Opera) and worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras.

He was Music Director of English Touring Opera between 1996 and 2002 and was appointed Artistic Director of Buxton Festival in 2006. During his five years at Buxton, he conducted numerous critically-acclaimed operas, including the award-winning Roberto Devereux (2007 MEN Award) and Lucrezia Borgia (2009 MEN Award), and Mignon (shortlisted for the 2012 South Bank Show Sky Opera Award). He also conducted many performances for the Chelsea Opera Group, most recently Adriana Lecouvreur and Medea.

Professor Lynne Dawson, Head of Vocal Studies and Opera, said: ‘Andrew was a very dear, kind man and a hugely respected colleague. For staff and students alike, it was a great pleasure and a privilege to work with him. He will be sadly missed by his many close friends at the RNCM and we send our sincere condolences to his family at this very sad time.’

20 January 2021