Robin Richards -
Works

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Commissions and Projects

Deep Flow - composer/performer (2023)

Richard worked alongside his longtime collaborator and producer Brendan Williams to make music on a commission by Factory International on the project Deep Flow - a mass group performance led by Company Chameleon that aimed to embrace the connection between mind and body through music and dance. They performed the soundtrack to the event live in the Aviva Studio Warehouse.

Then There Was Everything - composer/performer (2021-2022)

Richards was commissioned by Hinterlands Film Festival to write a film score for a newly created film Then There Was Everything about the life cycle of trees. A sold-out screening with live score took place at Skipton Cinema, and the project was reprised for Timber Festival in Leicestershire.

HOME, Manchester - composer/performer/musical director (2015-2021)

In 2015, Richards was commissioned by cinema and arts space HOME to compose a new score for Paul Fejos's 1928 silent film Lonesome. Two sold out screenings of the film with a live performance of his new soundtrack took play as part of their opening weekend. Following this he also worked on two further live scoring projects supported by HOME and Arts Council England; He met visual artist and film maker Clara Casian through HOME Artist Film and they collaborated on Birdsong - Stories from Pripyat (2016, produced by Katie Popperwell) and The Earth Asleep (2021, produced by Bren 'Callaghan). Both projects involved the artists travelling to Ukraine and Japan respectively for R&D, filming and recording, and culminated in screenings with live scores around Greater Manchester and at Flatpack Film Festival. In addition to the film scoring projects, he has been involved in workshops, networking events and leading talks at HOME.

From the Crowd - musical director/composer (2019)

In 2019, Richards was commissioned by Brighter Sound and Manchester City Council to be musical director and lead composer for From the Crowd - a large scale immersive event commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre. He collaborated with theatre director Evie Manning from Common Wealth, and Manchester Histories and Walk the Plank to put together the event which used eyewitness accounts from 1819 and words of contemporary protestors and poets, woven together to create an inclusive event where the audience members would become participants.

Rebellion - composer (2018)

Richards was commissioned by concert series Listenpony to compose a piece for contemporary Italian baroque ensemble La Vaghezza, which was performed in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

Gefail Yr Ynys artist in residence/composer (2017)

Richards was artist in residence at the Gefail Yr Ynys iron forge in Caernarfon in 2017. He collaborated with mix-media sculptor Mike Murray and blacksmith Dylan Parry, whom Richards also recorded whist he was working to create a found-sound techno piece which he named after the forge. The residency was supported by Arts Council Wales and culminated in an exhibition in Gefail Yr Ynys.

Festival Number 6 - composer/performer (2013-2017)

Richards was commissioned by his former university mentor Joe Duddell to write a piece to be performed in the Portmeirion Town Hall at the sophomore Festival Number 6 in 2013. He composed the piece Washington Trapeze for the festival’s chamber ensemble, followed this up in 2015 with a performance of preludes from his Lonesome score, and again in 2017, performing new arrangements of Dutch Uncles songs he had transcribed especially for the festival.

Wizard - composer (2015)

Richards composed the score for the short film Wizard, by directors Remi Weekes and Nick Middleton, which premiered at The Smalls Film Festival in 2015.

Releases (all published by Domino Publishing)

Washington Trapeze

(2013, Love & Disaster Records)

Castel EP

(2019, PRAH Recordings) - included my piece Toompea which was performed at the London Coliseum in December 2023 as part of the Studio Richter Mahr event VOICES commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Birdsong - Stories from Pripyat OST

(2021, PRAH Recordings) • The Earth Asleep OST (2021, PRAH Recordings)

Robin Richards has received support from BBC Radio 6 Music (including plays and features on the shows of Mary Anne Hobbs, Stuart Maconie, Lauren Laverne, Mark Radcliffe, Marc Riley, Huw Stephens) and on BBC Radio 3 - where he also performed a live session on the station's Northern Drift show in 2022, presented by Elizabeth Alker.

Robin Richards - Works