Lunchtime Concert Series: Richard Robbins

This concert will NOT be broadcast online

*If sold out, on-the-door tickets will be available, but those who booked in advance will be given seating priority*

The next in our 2021 community concert series will be a performance from Tenor Richard Robbins.

Richard Robbins is fast becoming one of London’s busiest and in demand tenors. He recently won plaudits for his portrayal of the Madwoman in Britten’s Curlew River, with Classical Source describing his voice as possessing ‘irresistible baritonal softness’ and his acting to be ‘expertly judged.’

Before the pandemic, Richard was preparing for solo performances of Dove’s An Unknown Soldier, Haydn The Seasons, Bach’s St John Passion and being part of the company at Opera Holland Park. He is a young artist for Handel House, Brighton Early Music, Leeds Lieder and Oxford Lieder. With Handel House, he has benefitted from the knowledge of Mark Padmore and Laurence Cummings, through masterclasses and coaching’s. For the Oxford Lieder Mastercourse, Richard learnt from soprano Ann Murray and accompanist Roger Vignoles, who continues to coach him. Richard frequently sings with Leeds Baroque, most recently for a performance of Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato under the direction of baroque expert, Peter Holman. His relationship with the music scene in Leeds has led to him to run an educational project,  introducing secondary school pupils to art song through story and performance. He also became a young artist for the Leeds Lieder festival, working under the tutelage of John Mark Ainsley and Sir Thomas Allen.

His frequent collaborators include pianist Guy Murgatroyd and storyteller Jo Blake-Cave and last year created a unique hybrid concert, commemorating the end of WW1 by interweaving story, letters from soldiers and English song for the Summer Music in City Churches Festival. Other collaborators include Gregory Batsleer, whose ensemble, Festival Voices, has seen Richard collaborate with DJs and contemporary dancers for performances of Monteverdi’s Madrigals and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. 

 Richard now studies with Amanda Roocroft, having studied Vocal Performance on the postgraduate course at the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of renowned tenor, Philip Doghan and highly respected interpreter of song, Joseph Middleton, winning the Rhonda Jones Scholarship upon graduation. Prior to this, Richard garnered First Class honours at Royal Holloway, where he was a Choral Scholar of The Choir of Royal Holloway and performed solos on Hyperion discs and live BBC Radio 3 Evensongs.

Lately, he has performed with The Hanover Band, Philharmonia Voices, The Southbank Sinfonia, The Chamber Choir of London and musicians from the Academy of Ancient Music and his recent performances include Oratorio, Opera and Concert work in venues such as; St. Martin-in-the-Fields; King’s Place; St John’s Smith Square; St. George’s Hanover Sqaure and The National Portrait Gallery. Richard spearheaded the campaign to Save the National Musicians’ Church from shutting its doors to musicians, gathering much press and social media attention. Consequently, he has helped create a new hub for church based rehearsal venues.