Richard Saxel is a concert pianist who is establishing a reputation as one of the finest accompanists of his generation. He studied the piano with the late Clifford Benson whilst at the University of York, and then with Michael Dussek as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music. Richard’s musical interests owe much to the influence of these two outstanding teachers; whilst happy to explore lesser known piano solo repertoire, his real interest lies in the art of chamber music and piano accompaniment. In 2002 he won the NFMS Making Music Award with his piano duet partner Faith Leadbetter, and he also has duos with the violinist Sophie Langdon, clarinetist Angus Meryon, and mezzo soprano Rachel Lindop.
One of Richard’s great attributes as a performer is his versatility. For four years he was one of the six pianists in Piano Circus, who perform and broadcast contemporary music at major festivals around the world, and he has worked with a fascinating variety of artists, from Indonesian puppeteers to ballet dancers, tango musicians, trapeze artists, music theatre performers, jazz singers and also with the Endymion Ensemble under Gyorgy Kurtag.
Richard has performed at many major festivals, including the Istanbul International Festival, Lucerne Festival, La Roque D’Antheron, The Big Chill, Victoria Arts Festival in Gozo, Cheltenham Festival and Dartington International Summer School as well as at several of London’s leading venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall and St. John’s Smith Square.
He has in the past been the recipient of an award from the English Speaking Union, and enjoys entertaining audiences at his recitals with spoken introductions and anecdotes. He is currently Head of Piano at Cranleigh School in Surrey, a consultant for INTED (a company running inset training for peripatetic music teachers and performance masterclasses), and has also founded a business providing independent advice for purchasing pianos. Away from music, his interests are mainly sporting, and include playing cricket (he holds an equal (but unofficial) world record for the most stumpings in an innings), and golf. |
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