Richard Bannan is a baritone, conductor and teacher. Since becoming musical director of Petros Singers in 2016, he has conducted Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Handel’s Belshazzar and Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, in addition to a wide variety of smaller works including a Tallis collaboration with The Marian Consort. The choir has also hosted workshops with musicians as illustrious as James Vivian and Rory McCleery.
Alongside his work with Petros Singers, Richard is also a Lay Clerk of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, and head of singing at King’s College School, Wimbledon, as well as pursuing a career as a soloist and consort singer.
Richard began singing at an early age as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral, before reading Music at Clare College, Cambridge where he was a music scholar. During his time at Cambridge, he formed his own chamber choir to perform a variety of works such as Parry’s Songs of Farewell and Richard Strauss’ Der Abend.
Since then he has held conducting positions at the Yehudi Menuhin School, where he notably conducted a programme of works by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies in front of the composer, as well as working with the Eton Choral Courses, Reading Phoenix Choir, Rodolfus Choir, Bloxham School Chapel Choir, the Chamber Choir of the Pilgrim’s School, Winchester, the Polish National Youth Choir and the Baroque Week Summer School.
Richard was musical director of the Yateley Choral Society from 2012-2016 with whom he conducted performances of the Bach and Chilcott St John Passions, the Brahms, Fauré, Duruflé and Rutter Requiems, mass settings by Haydn, Rossini and Jenkins, as well as the world premiere of Graham Ross’ An Imperial Elegy, which was written especially for the society. He has also directed projects with the Gabrieli Consort, including performances of Handel’s Coronation Anthems at Hampton Court Palace and a madrigal recital at the Dartington International Summer School.
Recent solo performances have included Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Christmas music by Finzi and Vaughan Williams, the Charpentier Te Deum and Bach’s St John Passion, as well as his debut with Woking, conducting the Vivaldi Gloria.