Celebrated for the improvisatory freedom of his playing—“The Grappelli of the Baroque” (BBC Music Magazine)—Andrew Manze began his career as a violinist specializing in period performance. Born in London in 1965, he studied with Simon Standage and Marie Leonhardt and showed an early interest in direction before he was appointed associate director of the Academy of Ancient Music (1996-2003), succeeding Trevor Pinnock as artistic director of The English Concert (2003-07). From 2006 he began to explore conducting opportunities with modern-instrument orchestras, enjoying a particularly successful tenure with the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and, since 2014, the NDR Radiophilharmonie, where he’s made award-winning recordings of Mendelssohn and Mozart. Manze has long been a prolific recording artist, beginning with Baroque chamber and orchestral music, and in 2022 completing a cycle of Vaughan Williams symphonies as guest conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.