“a symbiosis between artist and instrument”
biography
Andrew Forbes, Director of Music at Glasgow Cathedral, is an innovative Scottish organist whose dynamic style of playing creates ‘a symbiosis between artist and instrument’ (The Montrealer). His programmes often celebrate well-known masterpieces whilst exploring new possibilities for the organ, with imagination and an open mind—particularly in his frequent collaborations with composers, including premiere performances of music by Yves Castagnet, Edwin Hillier, Grace-Evangeline Mason, Juta Pranulyte and Roxanna Panufnik.
Appointed at Glasgow Cathedral aged 21, Andrew is a First Prize winner of the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, a shortlisted finalist at St Albans International Organ Competition, an Associate of the Royal College of Organists, and winner of the RCS Prize for Early Music. His ability to transform the organ into ‘the most sublime of musical conduits’ (The Scotsman) has seen him perform throughout Europe, with solo appearances at St Paul’s Cathedral (London), Westminster Abbey, Sv Matu International Organ Festival (Lithuania) and the Philharmonie de Paris.
Away from the organ console, Andrew is a versatile artist and enjoys a varied career across many keyboard instruments, mixing solo concerts with chamber and orchestral performances. He is in demand as a collaborative pianist, sound engineer and producer, teaches at Glasgow University and RCS, and is the Assistant Course Director of St Andrews Organ Week. Andrew directs the critically acclaimed Glasgow Cathedral Festival – described as ‘a minor miracle’ (Vox Carnyx) – with bold and often experimental programming that brings life to the city’s oldest building.
Andrew advocates for the organ through various charitable organisations: in 2023, he was invited to join the board of Scotland’s Churches Trust, where he chairs their Music Committee; prior to this, he was a trustee of Glasgow Society of Organists for eight years, and continues as their representative to the Scottish Federation of Organists. Together with Chris Bragg, Matthew Hynes and Steven McIntyre, he runs ‘Sowne of Organe’, a project surveying Scotland’s most significant (and endangered) historic organs.
Originally from Perth, Andrew studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Glasgow University, with teachers including Eoin Bennet, Chris Bragg, Hans Fagius, William Whitehead, Jan Waterfield, and John Butt. Since 2019 he has learned with Dame Gillian Weir, supported by awards from the Hope Scott Trust and the McGlashan Charitable Trust. Andrew loves food, drink, and spending any free time with friends—preferably near water or up a hill.
