Richard Davis

Richard Davis is Chief Conductor and Head of Orchestral Studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

He has been a regular conductor of the BBC Philharmonic and has conducted televised BBC Proms performances at the Royal Albert Hall. His recent conducting engagements have included concerts with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Before turning to conducting, he enjoyed a long career as Principal Flute in the BBC Philharmonic and freelanced as principal flute with such orchestras as the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Hallé Orchestras.

As a flute soloist, Richard premiered flute concertos by Bernstein and Maxwell-Davies, recorded and performed solo recitals many times on national and international broadcasts and won 1st prize in several international competitions.

Richard’s book: Becoming an Orchestral Musician – A Guide for Aspiring Professionals (published by Faber) sells world-wide and has been described as ‘an unbeatable-value master class’ (Classical Music Magazine) containing ‘brilliance and honesty on every page’ (Pan Magazine) covering a ‘down-to-earth, informative introduction to life as a professional musician’ (Daily Telegraph).