Richard Gill is one of Australia ’ s pre-eminent and most admired conductors and is internationally respected as a music educator, specialising in opera, musical theatre and vocal and choral training. Richard ’ s work in developing young musicians and creating opportunities for them is recognised world- wide. He is Artistic Director of OzOpera, Artistic Director of the Education Program for the Sydney Symphony, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and the Adviser for the Musica Viva In Schools program.
In 2004 Richard conducted the Sydney Symphony in Meet the Music concerts; Adult Themes, now known as Discovery concerts with the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia; Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Monteverdi’s Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda in a double bill entitled ‘Baroque Masterworks’ for Opera Australia; choral masterclasses and The World’s Biggest Singing Lesson at the UWA Per th International Arts Festival; Sing Your Own Opera at the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts; concerts with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and numerous projects with OzOpera, including regional tours of La bohème and Carmen.
Richard regularly conducts for Opera Australia. His operatic repertoire includes Orpheus in the Underworld , the world premiere of Moya Henderson’s Lindy, La bohème ( OzOpera) , Gounod’s Faust, The Gondoliers, The Eighth Wonder, Macbeth, Rigoletto, The Barber of Seville ( OzOpera), Lucia di Lammermoor, Il trovatore, Romeo et Juliette, Pericole, The Merry Widow, Fidelio, Turandot, Pearl Fishers, La forza del destino and The Magic Flute ( OzOpera and Opera Queensland) . His music theatre repertoire includes Brundibar ( Windmill Performing Arts) and the world premiere of Jonathan Mills’ The Ghost Wife at the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1999. Since it ’ s premiere, Richard has conducted The Ghost Wife at the 2000 Adelaide Festival, 2001 Sydney Festival and in the 2002 London Barbican Season. In 2005 Richard will conduct Eternity Man for Sydney Festival, The Love for Three Oranges in Opera Australia’s Melbourne Autumn season, OzOpera’s Carmen, as well as The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Queensland, The Queensland Orchestra and Messiah with Sydney Philharmonia.
His work in the concert hall is extensive and includes concerts with all the major Australian orchestras. He has conducted the Australian, Sydney, and Western Australian Youth Orchestras. He has held several important posts including Dean of the West Australian Conservatorium of Music ( 1985- 1990) and Director of Chorus at the Australian Opera ( 1990- 1996) . During the course of his career, which spans some thirty years, Richard has received numerous accolades, including an Order of Australia Medal, the Bernard Heinze Award for Ser vices to Music in Australia, an Honorary Doctorate from the Edith Cowan University of Western Australia for his service to Australian music and musicians, and in 2001 he received the Australian Music Centre ’ s award for ‘ Most Distinguished Contribution to the Presentation of Australian Composition by an Individual ’ .