Richard McLester

Richard McLester

Richard McLester, born 1985, is a multi-instrumentalist, artist and composer, working from his project studio in Poole.

Since September 2009, Richard has held the position of Director of Music & Choirmaster at St Peter’s Parkstone Church, Poole.

As one of Dorset’s largest churches, this position has given Richard the responsibility of conducting the choir under firstly Revd. Canon Nigel Lloyd and now Revd. Michael Camp (formerly Senior Chaplain to Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams).

Richard’s work with the choir has taken him to a large number of churches, including conducting Choral Evensong in Salisbury Cathedral & Sherborne Abbey.

In the summer of 2010, Richard trained for 6 days under choral animateur Jo Mcnally and received a masterclass from Jeremy Jackman (King’s Singers).

Previous diverse projects have included working as the Director of Music for the Poole Passion performances of 2009, 2010 & 2012. In 2010, this gave him the opportunity to work alongside pianist and broadcaster David Owen Norris.

In 2014, Richard composed, produced and performed The Road To Golgotha, a 50 minute soundtrack to the Passion of Christ which was used as the soundtrack to The Poole Passion 2014. The project involved mentoring soprano Alexandra Wehlau for 8 months as well as recording with Tim Fisher (1st Violins, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) and Jonathan Prentice (Baritone).

Other projects have included being a founding member of alternative rock band Oposium, in which he performed alongside pianist and organist Sam Hanson. This involved performing on a piano set on fire, as well performing in various theatres and churches. In 2009, the band won a national endorsement from electronics manufacturer Roland for Richard’s composition Behind The Rain.

Other works have included the Piano In The Sea performance art, the giant sculpture called As The Star Appears, as well as providing piano accompaniments for Civic Award ceremonies in Poole.

Music from Richard McLester

The Road To Golgotha CD

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YouTube Playlist | YouTube Channel

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