Andrew McCandless was appointed Principal Trumpet of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1999 and has established himself as a prominent brass player in the orchestral world.

Since his first professional position at the age of 20 with the Savannah Symphony, Andrew has also held the position of Principal Trumpet with many notable orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in which he still performs today.

As Principal Trumpet with the TSO, Andrew is regularly featured as a soloist. In 2010, Andrew performed the world première of Songs of the Paradise Saloon, a trumpet concerto written specifically for him by Bramwell Tovey, and commissioned by the TSO. He appears as a guest artist and chamber musician throughout North America, having performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Andrew began playing the trumpet at the age of nine and later studied at the Youth Performing Arts School in his native Louisville, Kentucky. He continued his studies at Boston University and the Eastman School of Music. As a junior in college, Andrew began playing with the Savannah Symphony as Co-Principal Trumpet. Today, he continues to be involved in classical music education. Andrew is on faculty at The Royal Conservatory, teaches privately, and has given masterclasses throughout North America including at the Eastman School of Music, University of Calgary, University of Toronto, Northwestern University, The Juilliard School and The Shepard School of Music at Rice University.

Andrew is a Yamaha performing artist.