Composer / Director / Spanish Guitarist
One of Australia’s finest Spanish Guitarists, Andrew Veivers draws on a wide range of musical influences to evoke the sensual and mesmerising sounds of the Spanish guitar in all of its guises. Of Kamilaroi, Dutch and Scottish heritage, Andrew has been based in Coolum Beach (Queensland, Australia) on Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi country for 20+ years.
Andrew Veivers is an Australian with a flamenco soul (Courier Mail)
With a CV that enjoys highlights as varied as orchestral direction, theatrical composition and arrangement, producing and directing roles for festival based ceremonies and events and concert appearances as both soloist as well as with various ensembles (Flamenco Fire, Kooralbyn, Youkali, The Saruzu Quartet, Jaleos Flamenco) on tours, recordings, radio, television and film, Andrew has maintained a commitment to combining an underlying ethos of community and cultural connection and development with the highest levels of germane and harmonious stage presentation, technical transparency, and sensitive and thoughtful application of artistic aesthetics.
On the back of his 2013 Queensland Music Award, Andrew Veivers toured Australia with his release - Departures - compositions for solo guitar - a reflection on the people, places, and projects that have been pivotal in Veivers' development as a musician and composer over the past 20 years. A decade later, Veivers has revisited these works collaborating with the Black Square Quartet and arranger Michael Patterson. This exciting new concert performance for guitar and string quartet has been received with critical acclaim.
These five artists perform with passion, grace, and good humour - together, they captivate their audience and instill a vividness through music...This program is fit to score a film whilst being so generous in its story-telling qualities as to allow the audience to construct their own (Georgia Haupt, Anywhere Festival)
Bain-Douches was pure flamenco with its tango rhythms, equally as dynamic and full of breathtaking energy and commitment, that was technically superb. One could feel the Sevillian heat pulsating from the stage. (Suzannah Conway, Limelight Magazine).
Veivers has developed a very personal and clearly identifiable compositional style. His passion for both the classical and flamenco worlds of music, song, and dance have resulted in compositions that stylistically draw inspiration from greats as diverse as Manolo Sanlucar, Steve Reich, and Manuel de Falla while retaining a clearly individual lilt. Deeply rhythmical, harmonically adventurous, and unashamedly lyrical, the architecture of Veivers' compositions reflects his ability to seamlessly join the rigorous research of a topic with the emotive goal and direction of a lyric or melody.
From the beginning, Veivers combined the traditional study of flamenco with the formal training of the classical guitar. After graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1993 from the University of Queensland (St. Lucia) Veivers spent 3 years studying, teaching and performing in London, Madrid and Amsterdam.
At venues ranging from Blenheim Palace (UK) to The Dillington Classical Guitar Festival (UK) to chamber music series' in Amsterdam to concerts at many of Australia's leading festivals, Veivers has appeared as a soloist as well as with his various groups (Flamenco Fire, The Saruzu Quartet, Jaleos Flamenco) to great critical acclaim.
Veivers’ commissioned compositional credits include Flamenco Fire (1999 - 2019), a new translation of Garcia Lorca's 'Blood Wedding' (Sydney Theatre Company 2011) and major orchestral works for the Woodford Folk Festival (2011 -2023),
Veivers’ solo debut recording – Jaleos – was awarded Best Album (Folk, Ethnic and Other) at the Queensland Recording Association’s Sunnie Awards. In 2006, one of Veivers’ compositions – Guarijas - was a finalist in the Queensland Song Awards World and Folk category.
REVIEWS
"..Andrew Veivers composition and arrangement is outstanding.." (Lloyd Bradford Syke, Curtain Call, Sydney)
"..In fact, the whole affair is deeply musical. Andrew Veivers’s early cante jondo composition is exquisite, desolate stuff.." (Darryn King, TIME OUT Sydney)
"..Andrew Veivers’ music creates that beautiful syncopated Spanish rhythm and pace.." (Whitney Fitzsimmons, Stage Whispers, Sydney)
"..Each moment in this performance was a spectacle, each song a triumph and all of the dances were superb and electrifying. It made me sad to know that this was such a short lived run in Brisbane, but what a run, what a show. It is not in my habit to completely praise every aspect and element of something that I view and it surprises me with the degree to which this show was outside my comfort zone to be giving it a well deserved and highly enthusiastic five stars and faultless review.." (Brent Downes, Theatre People)
Flamenco Guitar Workshops
Alongside his performance schedule, Veivers has continued his dedication to the teaching of the Spanish Guitar. After being on the teaching staff for many years at the Classical Guitar School in Brisbane and The Spanish Guitar Centre in London, Veivers opened The Spanish Guitar Studio in Brisbane in 1997. Veivers launched his teaching manual and DVD – The Rhythm Method: An Introduction to Flamenco Guitar in December 2010 at the Woodford Folk Festival.
In these exciting workshops, Andrew Veivers will introduce you to the lively, dramatic rhythms and techniques of flamenco guitar. Take a journey into the world of flamenco guitar as Andrew dispels some common myths and exposes a few ‘smoke ‘n mirror’ tricks along the way. Bring your guitar and notebook!
NB These workshop are an introduction to the flamenco guitar (not the guitar in general). Although friendly to most skill levels, a general knowledge of basic guitar chords and vocabulary is assumed.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Queensland (1993)
- Studied, performed and taught for three years in London, Madrid, and Amsterdam (1994 - 1996)
- Commissioned composer/arranger for arts institutions and events include: Sydney Theatre Company, Woodford Folk Festival, Festival of Voices, Cairns Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival, Scenic Rim Council, Floating Land Festival.
- Creator, director, and composer for Australia’s only national flamenco music and dance company, Flamenco Fire.
- Co-creator, director, and composer for The People’s Orchestra. A community orchestra model specialising in instrumental and vocal community engagement.
- Extensive performance history including concert appearances both as a soloist as well as with his various ensembles in the UK, Netherlands, Japan, South Pacific and multiple appearances at many of Australia’s finest music, arts and cultural venues and festivals - including Brisbane Festival(Qld), Melbourne Festival(Vic), Adelaide Fringe Festival(SA), the Woodford, Cygnet(Qld), National(ACT), Port Fairy(Vic), Fairbridge(WA) folk festivals.
- Publication of book/DVD (2010) ‘The Rhythm Method. An introduction to the rhythms and techniques of the flamenco guitar’ (128 page full colour book with 60 minute DVD)
RECORDINGS
Fifteen album length professional recordings completed between 1998 and 2021:
- Andrew Veivers - People Puppets Fire Volume 1 (2021)
- Youkali - Concert for Brisbane City Council Seniors Week ‘Live in the Studio’ recording for broadcast on 4MBS - (2020)
- Andrew Veivers - Departures (2013)
- Andrew Veivers - The Rhythm Method Book/DVD (2010)
- MZAZA - Journey Over Skin (2011)
- The Saruzu Quartet - Saruzu (2008)
- Flamenco Fire - Sol de Otoño (2008)
- DOCH Gypsy Orchestra - Bride in a Red Dress (2007)
- DOCH Gypsy Orchestra - The Man Who Drinks DVD (2006)
- Flamenco Fire - Live at The Judy (2005)
- SARS - Segundo (2005)
- DOCH Gypsy Orchestra - This Drink, This Moon (2004)
- Flamenco Indo Jazz - Earth Fire Water Air (2004)
- Andrew Veivers - Jaleos (2003)
- SARS - Some Sort of Rhythm (2002)
- One Straw - PseudoGnome (1998)
AWARDS
- Finalist - APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards (2022. Category - Excellence in a Regional Area) for release of People Puppets Fire Vol 1.
- ‘Best Composition’ (2013. Category - World) for ‘Pollito’ at The Queensland Music Awards.
- ‘Best Album’ (2003. Category - Folk) for solo debut recording ‘Jaleos’ at the 18th Sunnie Awards.
Teaching Credits
2009 - present The Spanish Guitar Studio (Sunshine Coast)
1997 - 2009 The Spanish Guitar Studio (Brisbane)
1993 - 1996 The Spanish Guitar Centre (London)
1989 - 1992 The Classical Guitar School of Brisbane
1988 - 1991 Ascot College of Music
Musical Education
1999 - 2000 Intensive study with Bruno Pedros & Rogelio Reguera (Madrid)
1994 - 1996 Intensive study with Francisco Antonio (London)
1990 - 1993 Bachelor of Music Degree @ University of Queensland (St Lucia)
1985 – 1990 Private Tuition with Isolde Schaupp (Brisbane)
Image: Ian Leadbeatter