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This is Richard.

Richard Egarr brings a joyful sense of adventure and a keen, inquiring mind to all his music-making—whether conducting, directing from the keyboard, giving recitals, playing chamber music, or indeed talking about music at every opportunity. After a successful career as Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music for 15 years, where he succeeded founding director Christopher Hogwood, he joins Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale as Music Director. Richard also holds responsibilities as Principal Guest Conductor of Residentie Orkest The Hague and Artistic Partner at The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota, after having served as Associate Artist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. As a conductor, Richard straddles the worlds of historically-informed and modern symphonic performance, making him an ideal fit for PBO’s parallel commitments to early and new music. Richard is already well-known to the musicians and patrons of PBO, having guest conducted the orchestra four times since 2012 in both regular season offerings and the PBO SESSIONS series. In addition to his conducting genius, he is a brilliant harpsichordist and is equally skilled on the organ and fortepiano.

Richard is a beloved teacher and has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School for eight years in their Historical Performance division, has conducted major symphonic orchestras such as London Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center Festival Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra, and regularly gives solo harpsichord recitals at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian, and elsewhere.

Born in Lincoln, England, Richard trained as a choirboy at York Minster, was organ scholar at Clare College Cambridge, and later studied with Gustav and Marie Leonhardt in Amsterdam, where he makes his home.

Playing with lucid and liquid technique, interpretive verve, and rhythmic acuity, the soloist/conductor steered the way with authority and allure…Egarr can make the harpsichord sing sweetly and growl, fret, muse, and even thunder a little. PBO audiences are getting a keyboard master in their new music director.

San Francisco Classical VoiceFebruary 2020

[The] beautiful rendition was down to Egarr’s firm direction, avoiding any whiff of pious sentimentality…Egarr is an inspired interpreter.

Süddeutsche ZeitungJanuary 2020

Performed with compelling conviction...Outstanding…Egarr and his responsive forces barely put a foot wrong.

GramophoneNovember 2019

Egarr gave a performance that was absolutely breathtaking.

Classical SourceJuly 2018

There's always a bouncy exuberance...when conductor Richard Egarr comes to town, and this concert was no exception…subversive brilliance…impressive crispness and precision.

The ScotsmanApril 2018

Egarr showed why he is celebrated: he is a motivator, an instigator and yet always a collaborator. He is clearly a man who loves musical adventures.

NDR.comJune 2018

Egarr...heightened every moment of drama and evoked a sense of magic.

Financial TimesOctober 2017