Andrew Kirk is a freelance choral director, organist, accompanist and composer working mainly in the Bristol and Somerset area. Since September 2025, Andrew has been Musical Director of Portishead Choral Society, a choir of 60 members, which celebrated its platinum jubilee earlier that year. In November 2024, he took up the position as Musical Director of Collegium Singers, an accomplished SATB auditioned choir of 30 voices based in Taunton.

In the autumn of 2024 Andrew took up the role as Director of two Good Afternoon Choirs, in North Somerset and Chepstow. From 2023-2025 he was Musical Director of Henbury Singers, a chamber choir of around 20 singers. For five months in 2024, he held the position as Interim Director of Music at Cirencester Parish Church.

From 2003-2023, he was Director of Music and Organist at St Mary Redcliffe Church, Bristol, where he had responsibility for directing several choirs at the church and regularly gave concerts on the famous 1912 Harrison and Harrison organ. In the past year, his organ concerts have included St David’s Cathedral, St Chad’s Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, Christchurch Priory, Leeds Minster, Albert Hall Nottingham and Brangwyn Hall Swansea.

From 1994-2003 he was Director of Music at St John’s Church, Ranmoor, Sheffield. He also taught class music at three secondary schools, including Lady Manners School, Bakewell. He has been an external consultant for the appointment of Directors of Music in some of the larger churches in the UK.

Born and educated in Leicester, he won an Organ Scholarship to Pembroke College, Oxford where he studied organ with David Sanger. He spent two years in Western Australia as Assistant Organist at St George’s Anglican Cathedral in Perth. He holds the FRCO Diploma, gaining the Turpin and Durrant prizes for organ playing.

‘I am delighted to be taking on the role as Musical Director of Portishead Choral Society. Having lived in Portishead since summer 2017, I’m really excited to be more closely involved with the musical life of our town. It was great to meet and hear the singers at the audition rehearsal. I admired their enthusiasm, warm welcome and great singing skills. I am looking forward to working with the committee to find attractive and enjoyable music for our concert programmes, and to increase the number of singers in the choir.’

Andrew Kirk, September 2025