Emma-Ruth Richards
Emma-Ruth Richards was born in 1985 in Surrey. After studying ballet and piano at the Hindhead Music School from a young age, Emma-Ruth continued with her studies in music at Alton College with Martin Reid. As well as studying piano, cello and flute, composition was the main focus of her music A level and continued to be so throughout studying on a BMus degree at Cardiff University School of Music. During this time Emma-Ruth took advanced piano studies with Chris Williams, conducting with Keith Griffiths and cello studies with Dwei Watkins and Chris Hodges.
After specialising in composition with Anthony Powers. Emma-Ruth chose to continue Cardiff for postgraduate study and completed her MMusic in composition working with Arlene Sierra and Judith Weir.
She has played with the Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and Cardiff Contemporary Music Group. As well having had the opportunity to be taught by the leading Czech composer Pavel Novak, as part of her postgraduate study, Emma-Ruth has worked with several professional performers including the Schubert Ensemble, Juice and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Chamber Players.
Emma-Ruth has just finished writing an orchestral work Invasion Into Time and is currently working on a chamber piece for trumpets, a trombone commission from Brian Raby (LSO) and a dance project with the Northern Ballet School. She is studying at the RNCM School of Composition for an MPhil with Gary Carpenter and Paul Patterson.
After Encountering the Schubert Ensemble's Music 2000 project with Judith Weir, Emma-Ruth has begun to research writing chamber music for children and intends to continue with this as an ongoing project.
She works front of house at the RNCM and teaches private students from home.
This year (2008), she has been part of the Discovering Dutilleux: in the presence of the composer festival at the School of Music and St.David's Hall, Cardiff; Boulez in Birmingham and CarMAC (Cardiff Music Analysis Conference).