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Biography

"...deftly moving his bow as a master artist might move his brush, full of oil paint across a canvas."

Audiophile Audition

Praised by Gramophone for his “captivating sensitivity” and “exhilarating authority,” Australian cellist Richard Narroway enjoys an international career as a performer, recording artist, and educator. He has appeared in leading venues across Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia, including the Kennedy Center, Chicago Symphony Center, Koerner Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Recognised for his stylistic versatility, innovative programming, and wide-ranging musical pursuits, Richard has earned an international reputation as one of his generation’s most compelling artists.

Richard made his recording debut in 2017 with Bach’s Six Cello Suites, released to international acclaim. Gramophone described the recording as “riveting…an adventure in expressive possibility.” Since its release, the album has been streamed well over a million times and continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. His second album, Requiem, comprising a diverse collection of Australian cello works, also received stellar reviews from the press, described by Limelight Magazine in a five-star review as "relentlessly stunning." Other recent highlights include a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations before an enthusiastic audience of thousands at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne in 2023; and a recital of the complete Piatti Caprices at the Sala Piatti, a historic venue in the composer’s hometown of Bergamo, Italy.

A laureate of major competitions, Richard has won top prizes at the Stulberg International String Competition, the Third Beijing International Cello Competition, and the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition. He was also a recipient of the Australian Music Foundation Young Musician Award and, in 2020, was named winner of The Music Trust’s Freedman Classical Fellowship, awarded annually to an exceptional Australian instrumentalist.

Passionate about contemporary music, Richard has collaborated with composers worldwide, leading to premiere performances across the United States, China, Australia, and New Zealand. From 2016-18 he was a core member of the Aspen Music Festival’s resident contemporary ensemble, premiering dozens of new works. In 2018 he also became a founding member of the Four Corners Ensemble (4CE), a group dedicated to celebrating diversity through new music, which has since engaged in residencies and collaborations with institutions such as the Hartford Opera Theater, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the University of Michigan, and the Hartt School.

Deeply committed to community engagement and innovation, he takes a particular interest in devising projects that bring classical music to a wider audience. In 2019 he completed a widely viewed YouTube tutorial series on Piatti’s Twelve Caprices. In addition, from 2016-18 he served as co-founder and artistic director of Chamber Music Michigan, an organisation committed to bringing chamber music to communities across the state. In 2015 he collaborated with the Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD (a project offering dance classes for people with Parkinson’s disease), to produce a recording of the Bourrées from Bach’s Cello Suite no. 3 as part of a global repertory project to be used by the 100 Dance for PD classes around the world. In the same year, Richard embarked on a multi-state tour around Australia performing the complete Bach Suites alongside a selection of contemporary Australian compositions, integrating concerts, workshops, and recordings in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Aside from the artistic and educational components of this project, Richard was also interested in bringing attention to Australia's natural landscapes and cultural history. He highlighted this perspective by recording distinctly Australian works in unique settings around the country. 

Richard's former teachers and mentors include Hans Jensen, Richard Aaron, David Finckel, and Brinton Smith. He also enjoyed early studies with Susan Blake and Takao Mizushima in Sydney, Australia. Richard earned degrees from the Juilliard School and Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, before completing a Doctorate at the University of Michigan, where he also served as teaching assistant. In 2018 he was named a Rebanks fellow at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Currently, Richard is Head of Cello at the prestigious Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne. 

Aside from the cello, Richard is also an avid runner and endurance enthusiast.

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© 2024 by Richard Narroway

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