Barry Phillips Meets... Richard Wigley

Richard was born in New Zealand and raised in a family of six boys and one girl. He studied in the US before embarking on a career playing the Bassoon for the Halle Orchestra, Manchester. It was here that he began his career in orchestral management which also took him to the Royal Northern College of Music and to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra where for ten years he worked as general manager.

Richard accepted the post of Managing Director of the Ulster Orchestra in February 2016 at a time when there were big questions hanging over the financing of the orchestra.

Richard gives a fascinating insight into what it is like to manage so many creative and able people who have to work together in such a confined space. “Orchestras,” he said “to be successful have to be “of the place”. His mission is to see that the Ulster Orchestra is “of Northern Ireland”.