Richard Bissill studied horn and piano at the Royal Academy of Music then joined the London Symphony Orchestra, aged 22. He was principal horn of The London Philharmonic Orchestra for 25 years before moving to his present position, principal horn of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He has been a professor of horn at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama since 1983. As a freelance session player he can be heard playing on numerous films including Return of the Jedi, Chicken Run, Gladiator, The Mummy, Shrek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and A Quantum of Solace.
As a member of London Brass (www.londonbrass.net) since 1990 he has taken part in some of the world’s major music festivals and has taught and given master-classes in Europe and the USA. Many of his virtuoso arrangements for the 10-man ensemble have been recorded for Teldec and are published exclusively by Brass Wind Publications.
The LPO commissioned several compositions including Christmas Carnival, Grand Opening, Philharmonic Fanfare, Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra and Excite! The LSO commissioned a Sinfonia Concertante for its centenary that was premiered in September 2004 at the Barbican under Sir Colin Davis and recorded for LSO Live.
Richard was chief arranger on the hugely successful 2001 London Horn Sound CD. A follow-up CD Give it One (www.giveitone.com) was released in 2008 and again featured his compositions and arrangements.
For television Richard has written the music for Channel 5’s One to Win, music for BBCTV Sport, and The Open Century and The Oranje Goal documentaries for Trans World International. For film he wrote the music for The Hardest Part, directed by Oliver Refson.
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2005.
