Goff Richards, Composer & Arranger for Brass Music

Goff Richards

Composer

,

Arranger

,

Conductor

Goff Richards was born in Cornwall and after studying at the Royal College of Music and Reading University, embarked on a career as a Composer, Arranger and Conductor.

His works have been performed by the King’s Singers, the Swingle Singers, various BBC Orchestras, Huddersfield Choral Society, London Brass, Evelyn Glennie, Benjamin Luxon and all leading Brass and Military Bands.

He writes extensively for BBC Radio and Television. Recent commissions have been for BBC’s ‘Festival of Cornish Bands’; TV’s ‘Songs of Praise’ including special Orchestral arrangements for the 40th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.; ‘Manchester 2002’ Commonwealth Games; ‘Mythic Trevithick’ for the ‘Trevithick Day’ celebrations in Cornwall; ‘Counting the Days to Christmas’ for Huddersfield Choral Society; ‘Sweet Thames Suite’ for Reading Pheonix Choir; ‘Vivid Colours’ for Vivid Brass, Tokyo; ‘Intrada’ for the opening concert at the new Hall for Cornwall (Bournemouth Sinfonietta); arrangements for Grimethorpe Colliery Band and, in the Pop music field, Tori Amos and the Albion Band.

In 1982, the St. Austell Band released an LP of Goff's music, and since then BNFL, Brighouse & Rastrick and Fodens (Courtois) Band have each produced a CD featuring his music, and a new recording of Goff’s ensemble THE ARCADIANS, with singers Margaret Richardson and Paul Whelan has recently been released.

From 1976 – 1989, he lectured in Arranging and directed the Jazz Orchestra at Salford College of Technology. For his contribution to band music throughout the world, the College, in 1990, awarded him an Honorary GDBM and the title Director Big Band Laureate. Since 1992, he has been directing the Jazz Orchestra at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester.

As an Educational Composer he has composed large-scale works for Barnsley Schools (‘The River of Time’) and for the East Ayrshire Schools Brass Band and Choir (‘A String O’Blethers’), both produced in the year 2000. As an Adjudicator he is widely travelled, having judged various British National Brass Band Area and Finals Contests; the European, Australian, New Zealand and Dutch Brass Band Championships; ‘SIDDIS Brass’, Norway; the National Male Voice Choir Championships of Great Britain and numerous Band Contests for BBC Radio and Television. He has spent three years serving on the BBC’s Central Music Advisory Committee and is currently a member of the British Music Writers’ Council.

The Cornish Gorsedd made him a Bard in 1976 and he maintains his West Country links as President of the South West Brass Band Association and Music Advisor to the Cornwall Youth Brass Band He has recently completed his third period as External Examiner for the University of Salford.