Canadian guitarist Andrew Mah is widely regarded for his virtuosity and fine musicality. He was born in Ottawa into a family of guitarists and from a very early age was exposed to the best of classical guitar music. His first instructor (outside the family) was Ottawa guitarist Garry Elliot, with whom he started in 1985.
He has performed professionally for the last 15 years, touring France in 1990 with the ensemble Guitares Nouvelle France and premiering some of the earliest work of Canadian guitarist/composer Patrick Roux. He concertizes regularly in Canada and abroad and has been a prize winner in competition at both the national and international level.
His formal studies took place at Canterbury High School for the Arts, University of Toronto with Norbert Kraft and the Conservatoire de Musique du Quebec in Hull with Patrick Roux. In addition, he has participated in numerous master classes with many other world-renowned musicians. (David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, David Tanenbaum, Sergio Assad etc.)
Andrew’s debut CD was released in 2001. " Presenting Andrew Mah" has received rave reviews for its technical brilliance and unique style. It has received regular radio play across Canada on CBC and reached #8 on the CUIT charts. This recording has sold internationally via the internet and has resulted in exposure in many different countries. His second CD of Brazilian choro guitar will be released in fall 2005.
Along with his solo activities, Andrew is an avid arranger and ensemble musician who enjoys transcribing and arranging complex music by ear. His arrangements for string orchestra have been performed for the PM of Portugal, Premier of China, General Pervez Musharraf, South African President Thabo Mbeki , US President George Bush, and Kofi Annan. They have been performed in Spain as well as Canada. To hear midi renderings of some of his work, please click here.
As well as classical and modern erudite composers he enjoys world music from all cultures and is currently focusing on the study of Cape Verdean popular music, and Brazilian choro guitar. He takes special pleasure in collaborations with composers who blend erudite and world music genres.
He was recently invited by the Governor General of Canada as featured
soloist at her Performing Arts Award ceremony, and in *2005 was the first musician from the Americas ever to tour the Republic of Cape Verde.
