He was an orchestral, operatic and choral conductor born Richard Sidney Hickox in Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire, England. After attending grammar school he took musical studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London before going to Queen’s College, Cambridge, as an organ scholar.
In 1971, when he was just starting out on his career when he was 23, he founded the Richard Hickox Singers and Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia. Within just a few years the Sinfonia had received recognition and with him still at the helm as their music director, they toured overseas annually and performed over 100 concerts per year.
In 1982 he became the Artistic Director for the Northern Sinfonia and stayed with them until 1990, and from 1985 he was the Associate Guest Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 he was a co-founder, with Simon Standage, of the Collegium Standage 90.
Among his other duties he was the Chief Conductor for the London Symphony Chorus, and with them he directed the premiere of Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Three Kings, he was the Music Director of the Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Music Director of Opera Australia, the Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, where he was Conductor Emeritus, and he was also President of The Elgar Society.
Having made many recordings, he won a Grammy Award in 1997 for Best Opera Recording with Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes and Gramophone Record of the Year and Best Orchestral Disc in 2001 with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 2.
In 2002 Queen Elizabeth II honoured him by making him a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
Whilst making a recording of First Choral Symphony by Gustav Holst on 23rd November 2008 he became ill and died in Swansea from a suspected heart attack. Queen’s College, Cambridge held a memorial service a few days later.
City of London Sinfonia recordings
Autumn Legend for English Horn and String Orchestra (William Alwyn)
Chandos 9065 (CD: Alwyn: Lyra Angelica, Autumn Legend etc)
Conductor – Richard Hickox
English Horn – Nicholas Daniel
Lyra Angelica – Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (William Alwyn)
Chandos 9065 (CD: Alwyn: Lyra Angelica, Autumn Legend etc)
Conductor – Richard Hickox
Harp – Rachel Masters
Pastoral Fantasia for Viola and String Orchestra (William Alwyn)
Chandos 9065 (CD: Alwyn: Lyra Angelica, Autumn Legend etc)
Conductor – Richard Hickox
Viola – Steven Tees
London Symphony Orchestra recordings
Symphony No. 5 – “Hydriotaphia” (William Alwyn)
Chandos CHAN 9196
Conductor – Richard Hickox
Here he is conducting the “Prologue to King Henry V” by William Walton…
Sources:
- https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/25/obituary-richard-hickox
- http://www.family-announcements.co.uk/localworld/view/984155/richard-hickox
- http://www.cityoflondonsinfonia.co.uk/about/biography.php?recno=2
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hickox
- http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Hickox-Richard.htm