Richard Markham
Encyclopedia
Richard Markham was born in Grimsby
, England, where he studied with Shirley Kemp and attended Wintringham Grammar School. By the age of 16 he had been awarded the LRAM and ARCM Performing Diplomas, become a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and won a scholarship to study with Max Pirani at the Royal Academy of Music
in London. Whilst still a student he was a prizewinner at the Geneva International Competition, and he made his London debut in 1974 appearing as soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra
under Raymond Leppard at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
His concert appearances take him throughout the UK and he has performed at major festivals such as Aldeburgh, Harrogate, City of London, Cheltenham, Bath and York. He has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, English Chamber, London Mozart Players, Hallé, Royal Scottish, Ulster, and the BBC Philharmonic, Scottish and Concert Orchestras. He has given a number of highly-acclaimed concerto performances at the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall.
Most of Markham's career is now devoted to his piano duo with David Nettle, and their concert tours have taken them to Australia, the Far East, the Middle East, North America and throughout Europe. In 1987 they appeared in both the BBC Promenade Concerts and the Berlin Festival and in 1988 at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. More recent European tours have included the Dvorák Hall in Prague, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In the last few seasons they have had fourteen major tours of the USA, appearing in over 30 states and travelling a total of 70,000 miles. They celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of their duo in June at a recital in London’s Cadogan Hall as part of its Celebrity Recital Series.
Richard has appeared on TV in several countries and has featured in three TV documentaries. A frequent broadcaster on Classic FM
and BBC Radios 2, 3 and 4, his recordings include Holst's own two-piano version of The Planets, which won the Music Retailers' Award for Best Chamber Music record in 1985, the wide-ranging two-piano repertoire in Nettle & Markham in America (featuring their own transcription Scenes from West Side Story), Nettle & Markham in England (Warsaw Concerto etc.) and Nettle & Markham in France, The Complete Two-Piano Works of Brahms, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and Stravinsky’s own piano duet version of The Rite of Spring and Petrushka.
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, England, where he studied with Shirley Kemp and attended Wintringham Grammar School. By the age of 16 he had been awarded the LRAM and ARCM Performing Diplomas, become a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and won a scholarship to study with Max Pirani at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London. Whilst still a student he was a prizewinner at the Geneva International Competition, and he made his London debut in 1974 appearing as soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra
English Chamber Orchestra
The English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall...
under Raymond Leppard at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
His concert appearances take him throughout the UK and he has performed at major festivals such as Aldeburgh, Harrogate, City of London, Cheltenham, Bath and York. He has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, English Chamber, London Mozart Players, Hallé, Royal Scottish, Ulster, and the BBC Philharmonic, Scottish and Concert Orchestras. He has given a number of highly-acclaimed concerto performances at the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall.
Most of Markham's career is now devoted to his piano duo with David Nettle, and their concert tours have taken them to Australia, the Far East, the Middle East, North America and throughout Europe. In 1987 they appeared in both the BBC Promenade Concerts and the Berlin Festival and in 1988 at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. More recent European tours have included the Dvorák Hall in Prague, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In the last few seasons they have had fourteen major tours of the USA, appearing in over 30 states and travelling a total of 70,000 miles. They celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of their duo in June at a recital in London’s Cadogan Hall as part of its Celebrity Recital Series.
Richard has appeared on TV in several countries and has featured in three TV documentaries. A frequent broadcaster on Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
and BBC Radios 2, 3 and 4, his recordings include Holst's own two-piano version of The Planets, which won the Music Retailers' Award for Best Chamber Music record in 1985, the wide-ranging two-piano repertoire in Nettle & Markham in America (featuring their own transcription Scenes from West Side Story), Nettle & Markham in England (Warsaw Concerto etc.) and Nettle & Markham in France, The Complete Two-Piano Works of Brahms, Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals and Stravinsky’s own piano duet version of The Rite of Spring and Petrushka.