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Richard Copeland FGMS FSCO was born in Hampstead, London, moving to Southampton as a small child. He was chosen as a chorister for the local parish church choir in Southampton at the tender age of six and has been immersed in church music ever since. He soon learnt the piano and later the organ with Jeremy Blandford FRCO to a high standard, passing three grade VIII examinations with distinction by the age of fifteen and gaining a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
Richard quickly secured employment with various organisations, including the BBC as a organist performing and broadcasting from many of the large London churches and concert halls including playing for a 'prom' at the Royal Albert Hall. He also worked in many of the theatres in the West End of London becoming involved in the first shows of the (then) new musical spectaculars that were the Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express and Oliver. In the 1990's Richard decided to return to Southampton and continued to be in great demand as an accompanist working with many of the amateur and professional groups around the south of England, and the London fringe. He was, for thirteen years, the Director of Music for the Catholic Deanery of Southampton, finally being appointed an organist at Portsmouth Roman Catholic Cathedral. In the last few years Richard has been involved in musical collaborations with Howard Goodall, Gareth Malone and a host of other conductors of musical groups, small and large, accompanying choirs in Ireland, Holland and America. He also retains his cathedral organist's hat by deputising for visiting choirs in many of our great cathedrals and abbey churches. He is an accomplished theatre organist, learning with the legendary Reginald Porter-Brown and enjoys playing 'light' music on the organ just as much as the serious side of things. Richard is also a freelance consultant and voicer working with two British organ builders and a large organ manufacturer in the Netherlands. He has worked on the prestigious instruments for the chapels of Clayesmore, Cranleigh, Llandaff Cathedral and More House schools as well as the 1500 seat Abbey Church of Worth, he was in Shanghai, China where he has completed the installation of the organ for the new Shanghai Symphony Hall and in Knock, Co. Mayo, Ireland, where he was reinstalling the organ in the Basilica, after its recent re-ordering. This was a major project, working on an organ which has to try, on occasions, to support the singing of ten thousand people. This year he is working on more instruments for England, The Netherlands and Norway. He is married to Elizabeth who has introduced him to the music of the blues and he is often to be found of a spare evening 'popping up' in the bars playing blues around Bournemouth, Poole and was invited to play at the famous Swanage Blues Festival this summer. Richard has one son who was a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and a Scholar at Charterhouse. |