Behind The Music

Richard is a accomplished composer and arranger based in Manchester, UK. He began his musical career as a member of the Drogheda Brass Band and Irish Youth Choir in Ireland, and later went on to study at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and the University of Salford in England, where he earned a BA (Hons) in Music, MA, and PhD in composition.

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Richard has had numerous works commissioned for brass bands and other ensembles around the world, including performances on BBC radio & TV, at Brass in Concert, and the European Brass Championships. He has also worked with Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller, writing 13 pieces for Acid Brass II 'In Yer Face'. He has travelled to perform and participate in festivals and conferences in LA, Chicago, San Diego, Bergen, Oslo, Dublin and New York.

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In addition to his composition work, Richard has also been involved in many other projects, including recordings, festival performances with the Hallé Choir and the London Symphony Chorus, and teaching Arts Administration and Composition at the University of Salford. He is one of the founding members of ‘New Sense Brass’, an ensemble that explores and combines various styles of popular music. His works have been published with Kirklees Music, Obrasso, Prima Vista Musikk, Pennine Music, and Offbeat Publishing Media.

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Richard is also the Music Coordinator at the University of Salford’s Music Directorate, where he supports the day-to-day running of the performance program. He has also written additional music and original scores for TV and Radio projects with the BBC (The One Show, TV drama 'The Village', documentary 'The Last Miners' and 'The Great Pottery Throwdown') featured on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, Sky Arts, Manchester City FC and arranged for musical theater group Collabro and comedian Jason Manford. Richard is also a member of the Society of Composers and Lyricists.

 

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