Richard Sisson is a professional composer and piano player. He has performed all over the world – in Australia, Austria and Afghanistan, in Bahrain, Barbados and Belgium – and that’s just the first two letters of the alphabet! He has also played in Madame Tussaud’s, in the Long Room at Lord’s, in the Houses of Parliament, in Buckingham Palace, on the island of Sark, on the beach at Estepona, on the Cresta Run in St Moritz and on a truck in a copper miner’s camp in Oman… He has broadcast many times on radio and television and once even appeared on Countdown!

 

He has written music for many stage plays, including Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van and The History Boys. He was recently honoured to provide the commentary for the 800th anniversary celebrations of Magna Carta in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen at Runnymede. He has just finished a new piece for Luton schoolchildren to perform which commemorates the 1919 Peace Day Riots.

 

This last year he began teaching his ‘legendary’ Sight Reading Method at London’s Royal College of Music – a lot of those exercises were pioneered here at Ingenium.

 

Favourite music-making memory
Practising alone on a beautiful Steinway in a private room at Chatsworth House with a late Rembrandt portrait on an easel beside me…

 

Interesting fact?
I once said ‘No’ to Kylie Minogue.

 

One piece of advice for young musicians
Since music is the answer to everything don’t be shy to ask all the questions…