Richard Russell, Clarinet

Richard Russell, Clarinet

Scottish clarinettist Richard Russell enjoys a varied career as a performer and teacher. Richard has performed with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, most notably as Guest Principal clarinet with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. His bass clarinet playing can be heard on recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Richard has performed as a chamber musician and soloist at prestigious venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, LSO St Luke’s, Purcell Room, the National Gallery and St Martin-in-the-Fields. He is a guest clarinettist for Ensemble 360 and Royal Northern Sinfonia Chamber Ensemble, and was a founder member of award-winning octet, Liquid Architecture. He has won awards from the Tunnell Trust, Martin Music Scholarship Fund, and was a Recommended Artist of the Making Music Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artist Award performing recitals for music societies around the UK. Highlights as a concerto soloist include performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Southbank Sinfonia and with the Koster Festival Orchestra in Sweden.

Richard’s musical studies began at the Junior Department of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, before going on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, Danish Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, supported by Sir James Caird Scholarships and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He then won positions on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme and as a member of Southbank Sinfonia.

As a passionate educator, Richard is experienced in teaching and coaching young clarinet players. He has taught at James Allen’s Girls’ School since 2006 and is a regular guest teacher at Junior Royal Academy of Music. He has collaborated on many creative projects with groups such as Music in the Round, Philharmonia and the National Theatre, working with young people around the UK and abroad.