Teaching

With students as diverse as professional classical music singers, a member of a chart-topping UK rock band, a judge from Dancing on Ice and teenagers intent on a musical future, Richard has an established reputation as a singing teacher, vocal coach and adjudicator. He teaches at King’s College and Christ’s College, Cambridge University, and works with the lay clerks and choral scholars at Norwich Cathedral. He also teaches privately in Ipswich, Cambridge and London.

He has given master classes in Austria (with Dame Felicity Lott), America and Singapore. He collaborates with pianist Eugene Asti annually at Benslow Music on a song course for singers and accompanists, and for many years gave master classes at Dartington International Summer School. With composers John Woolrich and Huw Watkins and writers Lavinia Greenlaw and David Harsent he co-led two courses on English Song at the Britten-Pears School, Snape, where he also taught alongside sessions led by Wolfgang Holzmair and Imogen Cooper. 

For many years Richard has been closely involved with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and he has fifteen years’ combined experience of teaching at Latymer Upper School and Ipswich School working with children from 8-18 across a wide variety of styles and genres. He founded and conducted the Wolsey Consort and is in demand as a voice coach with choirs and vocal ensembles including Aldeburgh Voices, Woodbridge Choral Society and the Bury Bach Choir.

He is a member of the Association of Teachers of Singing and of the multi-disciplinary British Voice Association (of which he was Treasurer for four years); he remains chair of their Professional Voice Network Eastern Region. Committed to continuing professional development he is actively engaged in furthering his understanding of vocal anatomy, physiology, acoustics and teaching techniques, attending courses and lectures with such exponents as Ron Morris, David Howard, Christina Shewell, Ken Bozeman, Janice Chapman, Gillian Kayes, Markus Hess, Steve Zeitels, Heidi Moss and Barbara Houseman.

“I am so glad that I am working with you as a teacher - your ‘eye/ear’ for detail is remarkable and your deft touches on the tiller that move me on in a new direction are brilliant.”

“The cool downs at the end of each day have been some of the most wonderful moments of my life! Your talk on the first evening completely cured me of imposter syndrome that I had always felt until then.” - Student on choral course

“I’m the mother of a boy who was lucky enough to attend your masterclass. We thank you immensely for your generosity, sense of fun and humour and superb wisdom, knowledge and advice. He was absolutely thrilled with your class and was much obliged to you.”

If you would like to get in contact about singing lessons, adjudicating or coaching, click here.