ANDREA VICARI

• Pianist and composer Andrea Vicari was born in Miami (Florida) and grew up in Birmingham (England). Educated at Cardiff University (Bmus(hons) PGCE) she won a scholarship to study at The Guildhall School of Music in London. Andrea has to date eight albums in her own name and two musicals; and has contributed to others such as 'Round Trip' and 'East and West' with Jazz Extempore plus 'The Vortex Foundation Big Band'; Claude Deppa and Trudy Kerr. She played a successful season at London's 'Bass Clef' club with the late US sax innovator, Eddie Harris and gigged with US trumpet legend Art Farmer.
  
  
• As well as her own band Andrea often tours with 'Jazz Extemporé' a European quartet which combines the jazz idiom with the folk influences of Eastern Europe. Recent tours have included performances in Italy, Croatia, Bosnia- Herzogovina and Bulgaria. Andrea performed in China at the prestigious 3rd Maritime Silk Road Art Festival 2017 with Croatian guitar virtuoso Elvis Stanic - the only UK musician to perform at the festival.
  
  
• A prolific composer, she has been commissioned by the Arts Council, the BBC, Jazz Umbrella, the Peter Whittingham Trust, Teignmouth Jazz Festival and completed a setting of the poetry of A.E Housman for the Ludlow festival, released on the CD New Perspectives. Other projects include The Leasowes Bank festival ; 'Women in Jazz project' held at the 'Hideaway Jazz Club' during the London Jazz Festival; Scoring the 'Chet Baker Speedball' musical and co-composing a new musical 'The Austerity Playbook' plus and a funded residency at Lyth Arts Centre, Wick, Scotland. The BBC recently recorded Andrea for a live album with South African trumpet virtuoso Claude Deppa at the Ipswich Jazz Festival.
  
  
• Andrea is also a well known and respected jazz educator holding a senior lecturer post and professorship at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of music and dance (jazz). She is musical director and founder of the highly successful'‘Dordogne International Jazz Summer School' and was a judge on the Nottingham International jazz piano competition and the University of South Africa International Piano competition in Pretoria. Andrea is currently part of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra Ambassadors jazz education project presenting workshops in schools nationwide.
  
  
• Andrea instigated a Young Women's jazz education taster day at Trinity following research project and feature article in Music Teacher magazine. Andrea has taught jazz and jazz piano at Pimlico Academy for twenty eight years - formerly the prestigious Pimlico Special Music Course - alumni including Antonio Pappanno (Royal Opera House), Django Bates, Andrew McCormack, Artie Zeitz, David Okumu etc.
  
  
• Andrea has published 'A-Rhythm-A-Tik' a compendium of multi-level original jazz pieces for adult learners and teenagers; accompanied by a series of online video lessons.
  
  
• Andrea Vicari presents a weekly show on JazzLondonRadio.com called 'JazzDoodles' where she has interviewed many legends of jazz such as John Taylor; Peter Erskine; Hiromi; JohnAbercrombie; Omar Puente; Bill Stewart; Jonathan Kreisberg; Marc Copland; Antonio Serrano etc.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Trinity College of Music (2000 - present) now Trinity Laban Consevatoire of Music and Dance
• Founder and Director of Studies Dordogne International Jazz Summer School
• Pimlico Special Music Course (now Pimlico Academy)
  (alumni Antonio Pappanno, Django Bates , Andrew McCormack, Artie Zeitz, David Okumu etc.)
• Essex Jazz Summer School
• Camden Institute
• Kingsway College
• Private practice (1990 - present)

APPOINTMENTS

• Senior Lecturer Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
• National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) Ambassadors - nationwide jazz outreach education project leader
• Judging Panel University of South Africa (UNISA) International Jazz Piano Competition
• Judging Panel Nottingham International Piano Competition
• Member of the Peter Whittingham Awards commitee
• Will Micheal Awards Committee
• Member of the Jazz Services education advisory panel
• Member of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards committee
• External Examiner, Royal Welsh Conservatoire of Music
  
• External Examiner, Guildhall School of Music
  
• External Examiner, Leeds College of Music
  
• Degree Accreditation Committee - Lewisham College
• Ensemble Leader, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Examiner for the ABRSM