Andrew Duncan was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1962. After learning to play the Trombone at Primary school Andrew joined local brass bands playing the Trombone, Euphonium and then Tuba. He then went on to study music at Napier University in Edinburgh and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
In 1984 he became Principal Tuba with the Hallé Orchestra, a post he held until 2000. During this time he traveled the world and in 1998 gave the Premiere of John Golland's Tuba Concerto with the Hallé in the Bridgewater Hall. As well as playing with most of the major British orchestras and with London Brass, Andrew was for a member of Hallé Brass.
Andrew was professor of Tuba at The Royal Northern College of Music, The University of Salford, Chethams School of Music and Huddersfield University. In addition he has given Master classes and recitals all over the UK, and abroad.
As a member of the Hallé, Andrew developed his composing and arranging skills and in 1994 the Hallé gave the premiere of his Concerto for Trombone with Andrew Berryman as the soloist. He then began arranging for the Hallé, mainly for the regular Family Concert series, and in 2000 Andrew was commissioned by the Hallé to compose a work about the history of Manchester. The result was A Tale of Two Empires a twenty-six minute piece which was first performed in 2000 with the Hallé. The piece received a further performance in 2001.
In 1995, Andrew started an MA course in composition at Salford University and It was during this time he began to write and arrange for Brass Band. His success in this field is impressive, particularly in the Spennymoor Brass in Concert competition where he has won the prize for the best new arrangement six times, consecutively from 1996-2000 and once again in 2002.
In 2001 Andrew and his family moved to Stornoway in the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where he now works as a freelance composer/arranger and conductor, and runs the Lewis Music Press.
