Richard Hills

Richard Hills is widely acknowledged as one of the world's leading contemporary theatre organists, and is also one of the very few musicians to have mastered the divide between the classical and theatre organ.

​

Having studied with William Whitehead at Rochester Cathedral he went on in turn to the organ scholarships of Exeter College Oxford, Portsmouth Cathedral and Westminster Abbey before becoming organist at St Mary's in London.

​

Richard’s career in the theatre organ world has been equally prestigious. He has numerous prizes and awards to his credit, both in this country and in the USA, where he was named 'Organist of the Year' in 2010 by the American Theatre Organ Society.

​

He has appeared many times as a soloist on national and international TV and Radio in programmes as diverse as BBC Radio 3’s ‘Choral Evensong’ and BBC Radio 2's 'Friday Night is Music Night', and he made his solo debut at the BBC Proms in 2013, returning to the Proms as an organ soloist in 2015 season and appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony and John Wilson Orchestras during the 2019 Proms season.

​

His many recording credits include a disc of British music made on the magnificent dual-purpose Compton organ of Southampton's Guildhall, which earned a five-star review in Choir and Organ magazine.

​

Richard combines a freelance solo career with continuo, choir-training and teaching work. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and a strong supporter of the work of the UK’s Cinema Organ Society, to whom he serves as Musical Adviser. He was appointed Resident Organist of the Musical Museum in 2021, having appeared there as a performing artist many times over the preceding decade.