Appropriately, NYJO is marking Trustees’ Week this year with the wonderful news that the tuba player and inspirational educator Andy Grappy is joining the NYJO Board of Trustees.
Andy’s career defies boundaries. He has performed with, amongst others, the Mike Westbrook Big Band, Hermeto Pascoal, Jazz Warriors, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Loose Tubes, Damon Albarn, McCoy Tyner, Grand Union Orchestra, The London Symphony Orchestra, Chineke! and Abdullah Ibrahim. He is currently Head of Southwark WAX Centre for Young Musicians; created a widely respected education resource, JAMation, with Jason Yarde; and works with several London jazz education organisations, including Tomorrow’s Warriors and Kinetika Bloco.
He has recently come to the end of an 18 month period as artistic lead for the LSO’s ‘Next Generation’ project and is a Music For Youth Mentor and workshop leader. During the last few years, he has led several exciting NYJO Learning projects, including our popular first-access tuba project for our home community at Woolwich Works and further afield at We Out Here and Cross the Tracks festivals.
We are excited to be working with Andy and look forward to the challenge and inspiration that he will bring to our Board and leadership team.
