Andrew Walker
Andrew has been singing and harmonizing ever since he can remember, having performed duets with his brother during their early years, as well as playing violin in both school & county youth orchestras and singing in various choirs.
He further developed his interest in close harmony by stepping in to help his father’s quartet, ‘Bravo Four’, in 1993 when they needed a substitute Bass at short notice. He soon ended up becoming a full-time member of the quartet and continued to sing with the group for 20 years!
He later joined the Wye Valley Chorus and went on to become their Bass Section Leader, eventually taking over the role of Musical Director in 2001.
He later went on to establish “Synergy”, a new singing group in his hometown of Abergavenny in 2006, where he remained as co-director until 2013.
When Lesley Carson retired from the role as Affinity’s Musical Director in the summer of 2017, Andrew was honoured to be approached to take up the reigns.
Andrew has also been a successful quartet singer, having won the British Association of Barbershop Singers Quartet Championship singing Bass with ‘Q.E.D.’ in 2007. He later went on to win his second UK gold medal with ‘Crossfire’, in 2011 and then his third with ‘The Locksmiths’ in 2018.
He has represented the UK in the International Barbershop Quartet Contests twice; held at Nashville, Tennessee in 2008 and Portland, Oregon in 2012, as well as competing in the International Chorus Contest with The Cambridge Chord Company and Hallmark of Harmony in 2007 and 2015 respectively.
Andrew has a real passion for vocal coaching and has worked with several other groups, citing a particular interest in enhancing musical performance through a better understanding of good vocal production & techniques. He has been a regular member of the faculty at BABS Harmony College since 2007, where he has coached numerous quartets over the years as well as the Harmony College Chorus on several occasions.
When he isn’t working as an I.T. Support Technician or being involved in his much-loved A Cappella singing, Andrew likes to play guitar & bass and enjoys listening to (and learning from) a variety of musical styles.
He’s also very lucky in that his wife, Lorna, is also a singer.
Lorna was baritone for the 2009 SAI Region 31 Champion Quartet, ‘Tone-Acity’, and also sings with Affinity Show Choir.
“It’s great to be able to share our singing experiences”, he says.
“Singing is such a big part of both our lives. We both feel very fortunate that we not only have someone who understands the commitment each of us gives to our art form but also someone who knows what it’s like to be on a similar journey with their musical ventures”.
