Andrew York's Biography

Andrew York was born in 1958 in the United States and is one of the remarkable, most visible and innovative classical guitarist-composers of our time. He grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia, and graduated from Gar-Field Senior High School. He went on to study the guitar at James Madison University. In 1980 he was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree in classical guitar performance from this university. He completed his Master of Music degree in studio guitar at the University of Southern California in 1986 (magna cum laude). While studying guitar in he university he was granted numerous awards, including the Jack Marshall Memorial Scholarship, the Manilow Scholarship and the Del Amo Foundation Grant for studying in Spain. He is also the only USC graduate in the school’s history to twice receive the Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award – in 1997 as a member of LAGQ and in 2003 as the sole recipient.

Andrew York’s compositions and arrangements for guitar have gained wide acclaim and enthusiasm among both musicians and audiences, particularly after John Williams recorded his "Lullaby" and "Sunburst" solos. Other famous guitarists such as Christopher Parkening, Scott Tennant and William Kanengiser have recorded his compositions.

York was a member of the GRAMMY award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet from 1990 to 2006, and has toured extensively with the group and recorded a couple of remarkable CDs. Although he is most known as a classical musician, he is also an accomplished jazz guitar player(studied with Joe Diorio and Lenny Breau)

As a published composer, York's works appear in print worldwide through Alfred Publications, Hal Leonard, Mel Bay Publications, Guitar Solo Publications, Doberman-Yppan in Canada, Ricordi in London, and in Japan through Gendai and Rittor Music.

Andrew York co-starred with Eric Johnson, Albert Lee, Doc Watson, and Mason Williams in the documentary “Primal Twang.” Written by Dan Crary, film what was released in February 2007.
For the last decade, his concert touring schedule has spanned more than thirty countries. Recent concerts include Bogotá Columbia, Ankara Turkey and Andrew’s eleventh tour of Japan. In 2006, Andrew recorded and performed with the Atlanta symphony for the opera “Ainadamar” by Osvaldo Golijov. The recording of “Ainadamar” (Deutsche Gramophone) won two GRAMMY awards.
In 2006, Andrew York left the LAGQ group to focus more on his personal artistic creativity and posted an open letter on the quartet's site. He was replaced by Matthew Grief.
York uses guitars crafted by David Daily and plays on D'Addario strings.