Sharon Richards BA, LWCMD, LTCL

Coaching and accompanying vocal students across the programmes within the Wales Academy of Voice and Dramatic Arts

Sharon Richards gained a BA degree from the University of Wales where her principal study was piano and second study violin. She continued her studies as a pianist at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio where she specialised as a repetiteur. Following this, Sharon worked with the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, Opera North, Opera Iceland and English Touring Opera. She had a long association with Welsh National Opera between 1997 and 2011. During her career as a repetiteur, she has worked with eminent conductors and artists including Sir Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras and Carlo Rizzi.

As a pianist, Sharon has appeared with the BBC National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and was accompanist to the BBC Chorus of Wales for several years.

Nowadays, Sharon devotes much of her time to coaching the next generation of singers at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she also leads the Sight-Reading Skills Module for the Keyboard Department.

She is also Head of Piano and Coordinator of the Instrumental and Singing Teaching at UWC Atlantic.

She has been a member of the examining panel for ABRSM since 2006.

Member of the Musicians’ Union

Prior to teaching at RWCMD and UWC Atlantic, Sharon has held positions at the Purcell School, Shrewsbury School, University of Keele and the Cathedral School, Cardiff.

Sharon is a practising musician, regularly performing with singers and instrumentalists.

• Musical performance
• Piano accompaniment
• Opera repertoire
• Song repertoire
• Piano pedagogy
• Music assessment