Richard Armitage

Richard was born in 1946 and lived at Southgate in North London. He started learning the piano at the age of seven but, after reaching grade five, his enthusiasm for practicing scales waned and ultimately his teacher refused to give him further lessons!

He went to Southgate County Grammar School after passing the ‘eleven plus’ examination in 1957. While there, he started learning the violin, initially with lessons from the school laboratory assistant who taught in his spare time.

Richard played in the school orchestra (although his first orchestral experience was ‘playing’ the tubular bells) until leaving school in 1962 to work for the GPO (as it was called then). He continued learning the violin at an evening class for string players at Southgate Technical College.

When sufficiently competent, he progressed to the college orchestra and it was here that he gained most of his early experience in orchestral playing. The leader of that orchestra was a fellow called Geoffrey Harris, an exceptional player/leader who later became leader of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (using his professional name, Geoffrey Trabichoff). In addition to orchestral concerts, the orchestra accompanied many operas and musicals performed by the college and local operatic societies. (Coincidentally, Geoffrey’s daughter Nina, who is a professional viola player, has been a member of the viola section of IOS).

During the late 1960s/early 1970s, Richard attended several ERMA (Ernest Read Music Association) orchestral courses at Roedean School in Brighton, and even had the courage to have a lesson from Emanuel Hurwitz, leader of the Aeolian Quartet at that time.

In 1971, Richard moved to Suffolk with the Post Office Research Department. He initially joined the Woodbridge Orchestral Society, which was then conducted by the now late Bernard Barrell. Later that year he became a member of the Ipswich Orchestral Society which, at that time, was conducted by Paul Hardman, a local violin teacher. Concerts were held in the Civic College (now Suffolk College) and rehearsals took placed at Bolton Lane School. He was desk partner to Wendy Brown (the orchestra's former leader) and they sat at the back of the 1st violins - Wendy went on to lead the orchestra for more than 20-years while Richard was co-leader for about 15 years. He was appointed leader after Wendy’s retirement in 1994.

Richard has been involved in many of the local music groups over the years including Trianon Music Group and the Wolsey Orchestra, and has played (and still does) for many choral societies both in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. He also plays regularly in a string quartet (Opus4) which Wendy leads. Although the quartet has previously given classical concerts, public appearances are now usually confined to wedding receptions and birthday parties where Gershwin, Joplin and Lloyd Webber are in the repertoire.

Richard plays a violin made by himself in 1985 under the guidance of the late Harry Runnacles; a renowned local stringed instrument maker and past leader of IOS. Since then he has made a second instrument which is currently being played by a member of the orchestra. He also started making a 'cello for one of his daughters (Jane), but for many years it lay unfinished in his workshop. However, with renewed enthusiasm, it was completed in 2005, in time to be tried out by Julian Lloyd Webber, the soloist in our 2005 summer concert.

After retiring from BT in 1996, Richard has been able to devote more time to music, both playing and repairing instruments for local players in addition to helping his twin daughters, Jane and Catherine with their various DIY requests! Since 2007 there have been two marriages - Jane to Luther and Catherine to Toby - and, in January 2009, Catherine gave birth to a little girl, Eden - Richard's first Grandchild.