Richard Ireland

Bio

London-born into a musical family, Richard is one of the UK’s leading chamber musicians with an international career as performer and teacher. Over the past 20 years he has created and run a number of innovative nonprofit Arts training organisations in the UK. He is sought after as a mentor by performers at all stages of their careers.

In 2010 Richard founded ChamberStudio which provides specialised coaching and support for emerging professional chamber musicians. He was CEO and Artistic Director until stepping down in 2024. In 2017 he founded Offstage to provide a safe haven for established performers where they can temporarily step ‘offstage’, re-energise, and explore fresh thinking alongside artists from different disciplines.

Richard was Professor of Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London until stepping down in September 2025 - his ex-students hold principal positions in top orchestras and chamber ensembles across Europe. He continues to be in demand as a performance coach for professional musicians of all ages and has given masterclasses at most of the European Festivals, training organisations, and summer courses.

As a chamber musician, Richard was a regular performer at all the major chamber music venues across Europe, including as a member of the world-renowned Chilingirian String Quartet. Alongside his chamber music career, he was Guest Leader of orchestras such as the City of London Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Richard studied the violin with Eli Goren and Shmuel Ashkenasi, both eminent quartet leaders. He was Teaching Assistant to Shmuel Ashkenasi in the USA for three years.

In recognition of his teaching and mentoring and for his work creating and running ChamberStudio, Richard was awarded the 2014 Cobbett Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians. In March 2017 he was awarded Honorary Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon ARAM) for special contribution to the institution.

Richard holds a first-class Pure Mathematics degree from the Open University which he studied part time in his 30s purely for his love of the subject.

In his free time, Richard is a keen mountain walker and wild camper together with his cellist wife and their 850 gram 2-man tent. He was a passionate rock climber until he broke a knuckle on his left hand. His two grown up children both live and work in London.

In 2025/26 Richard is a Fellow of the Distinguished Careers Institute program at Stanford University in USA.