Conductor

 

Richard Toomer

Richard is very much looking forward to his debut season with the Wyre Forest Symphony Orchestra.  He has already guided the orchestra through a programme of Romantic music including Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Elgar’s Serenade for Strings and works by Borodin.

 

Richard is a very experienced musical director within the theatre and has conducted all the major operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.  He conducted the Birmingham premiere of ‘State Fair’ and has been MD for over 30 musicals in the last twenty years.  Richard has worked in the Crescent Theatre and the Old Rep theatre in Birmingham and has also been MD for Thoroughly Modern Millie and most recently Assistant MD for ‘Wallop Mrs Cox’ in the highly acclaimed Birmingham Hippodrome.  Richard will be the Musical Director for Jesus Christ Superstar in October 2011 in Brierley Hill’s Civic Hall.

 

Richard attended the Conservatoire in Birmingham from 1989 to 1992 gaining his Bachelor of Arts in Music.  He studied Violin and Piano and majored in Orchestral Conducting studying under Jonathon Del Mar.  While at Music College he conducted Schubert’s First Symphony and was the principal conductor for the Jeremiah Ensemble conducting a repertoire of Baroque music.

 

As a choral conductor Richard’s conducting credits include Brahms Requiem and Haydn’s Nelson Mass.  He was the conductor for The Quinborne Choir between 1990 and 1993.

 

Richard has also spent some time as a young musician in The Royal Engineers. He enjoys lots of sports and the outdoors and is the Head of Music at The Earls High School in Halesowen.