Born in Lancashire, Andrew’s talents were harnessed early whilst still at school and by local amateur musical societies and theatre groups. His first major solo role was as Curly in a school production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s much-loved musical, Oklahoma. A passion for theatre and opera developed while studying theology at Bristol University and Andrew went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. After graduating, he joined Opera for All – an Arts Council funded touring company whose mission was to take opera to venues throughout the UK and to sing in English to make opera more widely accessible.
In later years, Andrew has become one of the foremost international baritones of his generation with notable performances at Covent Garden and major opera houses around the world. He is much appreciated as a great communicator and is a committed advocate for his art.
Andrew Shore has made regular appearances with English National Opera playing Major-General in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, Papageno the bird-catcher in Mozart’s Magic Flute and Wagner’s evil dwarf Alberich in The Ring Cycle. In this October 2015 article from the Guardian Andrew talks about his greatest comic roles for the ENO English National Opera – it has some lovely photographs!
Most recently he has been seen with Welsh National Opera in one of his signature comic roles, Dr Bartolo in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. Having great affection for the character, Andrew says that Bartolo always reminds him of Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army – both have a tendency to put on a pompous front, insisting they know what they’re doing but always having the rug pulled out from under them.
A fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music, Andrew was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Music by Bristol University in 2014.
Andrew recently appeared in Turnage’s Greek at the Brooklyn Academy of Music New York, he sang Beckmesser in Adelaide Opera’s production of Die Meistersinger and Baron Zita in English National Opera’s Merry Widow.
Other ENO roles coming up include Pooh Bah in The Mikado and Bartolo in a new production of The Marriage of Figaro.
Andrew is married to Fiona and lives in Chorleywood.