Director of Music
Richard Smith – Director of Music
Richard says…………
“Wantage Choral Society make a tremendous sound, and it’s a privilege to be working with them. They are the friendliest group of people one could wish to meet and they make newcomers very welcome. Unlike a lot of choral societies, the choir’s well balanced and so rehearsals are great fun. We work on developing everyone’s individual vocal skills, look at various singing and performance techniques and cover some really exciting repertoire.”
“It seems a new chapter in the choir’s history is opening up and our membership and audiences seem to be growing rapidly. We are collaborating with some fine orchestras and soloists and it’s a great pleasure to see so many new faces coming along to join in. We don’t audition, and the choir is a great place to learn new skills, sing with some fantastic musicians in great venues, and give your social life a boost!”
Richard Smith – Biography
Richard was appointed conductor of the Wantage Choral Society in 2005. He started training choirs in earnest as an undergraduate at the University of Birmingham where he directed the University Chamber Choir. In 1995 he won an M.J. West Memorial Scholarship to study in Scandinavia and in 1998 he was awarded the Royal College of Organists’ John Brook Prize for Choir Directing. He took his postgraduate studies on the harpsichord with Lars Ulrik Mortensen in Munich, and later on the organ with Harald Vogel at the North German Organ Academy.
On his return to the UK he took several teaching posts before devoting his time solely to making music. From 2001 to 2005 he was the organist at St Mary’s Church in Stoke D’Abernon, home of the famous Frobenius instrument, where he gave over forty concerts and established the professional choir. In 2005 he was appointed Director of Music at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Reading. He conducts a number of amateur and professional ensembles in the South East of England and is the director of The Liturgical Music Courses, a series of annual week-long courses for adults based in English cathedrals (www.liturgicalmusic.co.uk).
