artist profile
EARLY LIFE & SCHOOL YEARS
André Mendes da Costa is of Dutch-Portuguese descent but was born in New Zealand and grew up in the Coromandel Peninsula gateway town of Thames. André’s love of music was evident from an early age, and his musical voyage began with piano tuition from the age of seven. While other children were scoring tries on the rugby field, André was scoring points with his tutors, winning one performance award after another in local and regional competitions while studying for Trinity College of Music examinations.
During high school André was involved in a number of musical productions as member of the school orchestra, and his music teacher John Mullon later described André as “one of the most talented musicians at Thames High School.” André was never far away from the public eye as his parents always encouraged him to use his musical skills to entertain others — a gift he holds in common with his second cousin, well-known NZ entertainer and former TVNZ music director Garth Young, now based in Rarotonga.
André’s professional journey began when, while still a youngster, he worked during his school holidays as a store demonstrator of electronic organs and keyboards, fascinating shoppers and passersby with his versatility and broad musical repertoire. At the age of 17 he was invited to perform at the official opening in Newtown, Wellington, of what was then known as the prestigious Piano House of New Zealand, officiated by the late former Prime Minister Sir David Lange.
FREELANCE PIANIST & SESSION MUSICIAN
While André has not pursued music as his primary career, music has nevertheless played a significant part in his life. In addition to providing entertainment on countless occasions for friends and family, for more than 25 years he has performed as a freelance pianist and as keyboard player and vocalist with bands in New Zealand and Australia, including the Brisbane-based Backstreet Blues Band during the 1980’s, and featured in their debut album recorded at Creative Space Studios, Brisbane.
While André can read music, his greatest talent is the ability to perform a song after only hearing it, and as a result he has an endless repertoire that continues growing to keep pace with the ongoing release of modern easy-listening songs. His versatility as a session musician has also meant that he can easily adapt to accompany other musicians and singers, and has done so on many hundreds of occasions over the years, both in rehearsed settings as well as spontaneous performances.
André gains much satisfaction from performing for others’ enjoyment, and is just as at home playing in an informal setting as he is in a formal one. Some of his most memorable jam sessions have been with accomplished musicians such as the extremely talented Adrian Stuckey of Bignote Productions in Australia, French-Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Huard (former member of 1960’s rock band The Sultans) while visiting Montréal in 1997, and more recently on a number of occasions with Finnish violinist and NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen.
STEINWAY PIANOS — THE ARTIST’S CHOICE
This artist’s profile would not be complete without reference to his instrument of choice. Like most pianists who have had the opportunity to play on a variety of pianos in their career, André has acquired a taste for those instruments which enable him to give the full range of expression to his music, and which allow him to turn a palette of ebony and ivory into a veritable artwork of colour. While André admires and enjoys performing on quality instruments made by Kawai and Yamaha, he joins many world-class pianists in regarding instruments made by Steinway & Sons as the pinnacle of piano achievement.
“Steinway is the only piano on which the pianist can do everything he wants.
And everything he dreams.”
— Vladimir Ashkenazy
THE DISCERNING CHOICE IN LIVE MUSIC
To this day, André regularly receives offers to work the international luxury hotel chain and cruise ship entertainment circuits, and while professionally such offers are tempting, for personal and family reasons he prefers to remain in New Zealand for the time being.
While an experienced band keyboardist, in recent years André has focused more on live solo piano work, performing as resident and guest pianist at a number of establishments in the Auckland, Waikato, and Wellington regions, and proving to be a popular music choice for wedding receptions, cocktail parties, and corporate functions. In his rare spare time he puts his hand to songwriting, and while he is by no means prolific, the quality of his lyrical and melodic compositions has won praise from music professionals worldwide.
In 2006 André was awarded Top Ten status by Music Wairarapa Incorporated, and was selected as one of the Performing Artists for Zest Wairarapa, an inaugural festival showcasing Beer, Wine & Food from around New Zealand, set amongst Wairarapa’s premium outdoor setting QE II Park. André has since been sought after for other high-profile public functions, such as Wairarapa’s annual Bride of the Year, where discreet yet top quality live music has been an integral part of the proceedings.
Based in New Zealand’s picturesque Wairarapa region since 2003, André enjoys performing for most functions where discreet live background music is appreciated, and he is available to travel throughout the Wairarapa and Wellington regions, or further if required. If a quality piano is not available at your chosen venue, André can supply a quality digital piano for the occasion.
To enquire about booking André for your next special event, please fill in the form on the Contact page.