Andrew Lewis

“An erudite musician, … [Lewis] impresses.”
— John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

“Lewis is not only a first-class conductor, but was an engaging host for the proceedings, offering musical insights and anecdotes that were as entertaining as they were informative.”
— Dennis Polkow, New City

“Inspiring conductor, scholar, and educator.”
—John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune

Recently profiled by John von Rhein in the Chicago Tribune as “the inspiring conductor, scholar, and educator,” Andrew Lewis is Artistic Director of Bella Voce, Music Director of the Elgin Master Chorale, founder and Artistic Director of The Janus Ensemble (a professional chamber orchestra specializing in Baroque and new music), Choirmaster at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Evanston, and is a member of the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has been a guest lecturer at Concordia University Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, the Lectures in Church Music series, Garrett Theological Seminary, and formerly taught the conducting course at DePaul University. He has been a guest conductor with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and has appeared on several occasions as a guest conductor with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Lewis’s performances with Bella Voce, the Elgin Master Chorale & Elgin Symphony have been broadcast nationally on WFMT 98.7.

Mr. Lewis attended Northwestern University, receiving his Bachelor of Music degree in music theory. While a student at Northwestern he received a scholarship to observe the rehearsals of Daniel Barenboim and Asher Fisch at the Staatsoper-Unter-den-Linden, Berlin. After college he moved to California, worked as a church musician, and was an original member of the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale of San Francisco, having sung with Baroque specialists Nicholas McGegan and John Butt. He then attended the Eastman School of Music to study choral, orchestral, and operatic conducting with William Weinert and orchestral conducting with David Effron, receiving his Master of Music degree in 1998.

Mr. Lewis has also studied with conductors Helmuth Rilling, Robert Shaw, Robert Spano, James Paul, Gustav Meier, Stephen Cleobury, Duain Wolfe, and Dale Warland in the United States and Michel Tapachnik in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mr. Lewis is married to singer and conductor Kirsten Hedegaard. He and Kirsten have three young boys, all of whom sing with their dad at St. Luke’s.