Richard has been Musical Director of the Waverley Singers for over 17 years, conducting major performances in Guildford Cathedral and local churches, including works by Monteverdi, Verdi, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Bach, as well as leading the choir on tours in the UK and Europe. Recent highlights range from Bach’s Mass in B Minor to Will Todd's Mass in Blue, and include new commissions, most recently 'Five Nocturnes' by Owain Park.

A former organ scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge, Richard graduated with first-class honours and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he now teaches and coaches singers and instrumentalists for careers in opera and on the concert platform. He is a trustee of the Josephine Baker Trust, which supports young singers studying at the London conservatoires, some of whom perform as soloists in Waverley Singers' concerts.

Active as a conductor, pianist and organist, Richard is also Musical Director of the Romsey Choral Society and has a long-standing association with the Royal Choral Society. He works regularly with professional choirs including the BBC Singers, both accompanying and conducting them for broadcast.

Richard is a regular organist with the Philharmonia and BBC Symphony Orchestras in London, appearing with them in numerous concerts and recordings. He collaborates with many leading conductors and performs regularly at the Royal Albert Hall, including at the BBC Proms. He also accompanies services at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament.

In the podcast interview below, Richard talks about some of the more unusual experiences he has had playing at the Proms!

Jakob was born in Sweden and studied piano, piano teaching and conducting at The Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm before coming to London for further studies at the Royal College of Music.

At the College Jakob earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Accompaniment, winning all the prizes for lieder accompaniment.

Since graduating, Jakob has performed all over the UK, with singers, instrumentalists and choirs.

The podcast interview, below, gives an absorbing insight into Jakob's family and musical background. We are very lucky that he is willing to brave the vagaries of the train service to come and rehearse with us every Thursday night during termtime!