Praise for Richard’s The Flaming Heart (2023):
“An impressively and deeply musical setting” - Robert Saxton
“Passionately conceived with excellent vocal writing… a real feel for the words” - Paul Spicer

BIOGRAPHY

Richard Barnard is an international award-winning British composer described as an “original voice” by Roxanna Panufnik. His music is regularly performed by some of the world’s leading musicians including the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, The Gesualdo Six, Matilda Lloyd and Helen Charlston.

Writing for voice is at the heart of his work, with a strong sense of melody and lyricism, and an understanding of dramatic structure, humour and text. His choral works have won the 2023 Finzi International Composition Competition and been shortlisted for the 2023 VOCES8 Composition Competition, JAM Call for Scores 2023 and the International Tapiola Choir Composition Competition 2024. He also composes song cycles, operas, music for theatre and pieces for combinations of professional and community groups.

He has been commissioned by Welsh National Opera, Opera North, The Gesualdo Six, Matilda Lloyd, Clare Hammond, Helen Charlston, Bath International Music Festival, Bristol Cathedral Choir and others. His pieces have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong and In Tune, and performed by CBSO, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Mark Padmore, Elizabeth Karani, Amy Dickson and Héloïse Werner. He has a Masters Degree in composition from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and a first-class degree in music from Birmingham University. He is now based in Bristol.

Richard is an accomplished and innovative composer in education and community projects, with expertise working with autistic young people and those affected by dementia. He has worked with many leading organisations in the UK, including CBSO, WNO, Opera North, ETO, BBC Singers, London Sinfonietta, Turtle Key Arts and Music Theatre Wales. He worked as a composer on the Newport Legends project with Operasonic, nominated for an RPS Award in 2018. He taught composition at Bristol University and has been awarded several grants from Arts Council England for projects and commissions. He writes regular articles for Music Teacher Magazine.

His ‘Lockdown’ videos with soprano Elizabeth Karani were an online hit in 2020, re-published and shared by Royal Opera House, Classic FM and Opera North.

His choral music is published by White Light Publishing. To purchase other scores, please contact directly.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Richard Barnard is an international award-winning British composer described as an “original voice” by Roxanna Panufnik. He won the 2023 Finzi International Composition Competition and his music has been shortlisted for the 2023 VOCES8 Composition Competition and International Tapiola Choir Composition Competition 2024. His music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and is regularly commissioned and performed by some of the world’s leading musicians including the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, The Gesualdo Six, Matilda Lloyd and Helen Charlston. Alongside choral music, published by White Light Publishing, he composes song cycles, operas, instrumental works and pieces for combinations of professional and community groups.