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Richard Scholfield is an accomplished Scottish saxophonist, recognized for his exceptional artistry and praised for his "silken" sound by The Scotsman. Specialising in solo and chamber music, Richard has a talent for engaging audiences through his expressive performances and thoughtful programming, showcasing the saxophone's rich history and innovative possibilities.
 

“An added bonus was the wholly articulate and informative way Richard Scholfield explained the theme of the concert and each work, including a bit of social history for good measure. There’s surely an alternative career in broadcasting awaiting such a poised presenter.”

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-Martin Roche, reviewing Scholfield-Clarke Duo Recital at Westbourne Music, May 2023

His dedication to chamber music is evident in his diverse collaborations. As one half of the award-winning Scholfield-Clarke Duo with pianist Iain Clarke, Richard regularly performs across the UK, having played prestigious venues such as Perth Concert Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields. Their recent Scottish tour in October 2024 featured a significant new commission from composer Tom W Green. Additionally, Richard's unique quintet programs with the Resol String Quartet, which often feature his original arrangements, have brought them to various stages across Scotland, particularly in rural areas.

 

Richard's artistry is featured on two recent album releases. Building Castles, produced by Live Music Now Scotland and Delphian Records (August 2024), includes a new composition by Scottish composer Erin Thomson. He is also featured on Don't Add to Heartache (March 2024), a collaboration with soprano Stephanie Lamprea, composer Tom W Green, and other talented improvisers, with recordings from their live performance at the 2023 Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh.

 

Beyond performance, Richard is a skilled arranger and transcriber. He was recently commissioned to write an orchestral arrangement of William Grant Still's Romance, which was performed by Metropolitan Opera principal bass trombonist Denson Paul Pollard during the 2023/2024 season. He also delights in the process of re-interpreting historical works through the lens of his own distinctly modern instrument, creating new solo and chamber arrangements that span a wide range of composers, including J.S. Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Amy Beach and Olivier Messiaen. His arrangements are varied, ranging from duos to larger ensemble pieces, as well as choral arrangements for the community choirs he directs.

 

Richard's achievements have earned him numerous accolades. He is a Légère Reeds endorsing artist and a 2020 City Music Foundation artist, and won second prize in the 2024 Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition at Mayfield Festival. In 2023, he received the Arosa Kultur Hans-Schaeuble Award, which led to a recital tour in Switzerland in March 2024. His concerto appearences during the 2023/2024 season included collaborations with composer-conductor Darrell Davison, featuring performances of Davison's triple saxophone concerto The Garden of Earthly Delights in Cambridge, Epsom, Sevenoaks and Croydon. Richard also frequently performs with major UK orchestras, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and the orchestra of Scottish Opera.

 

Richard holds a Master of Arts in saxophone performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studied under Josef Pacewicz and Arno Bornkamp. His education also includes prestigious courses such as the Arosa Music Academy, London Sinfonietta Academy, and the European University of Saxophone. During his studies, he earned several top prizes, including the Governors' Recital Prize for Woodwind and Chamber Music.

 

Richard performs on a Selmer Series II Alto Saxophone with a Selmer Supreme neck and a Selmer Mark VI Soprano Saxophone, using Selmer mouthpieces and Légère synthetic reeds across all his instruments.

Amiri regularly performs across the UK and abroad. Previous engagements include solo recitals at prestigious venues including Steinway Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Institut Francais, Bishopsgate’s Institute, the Royal Albert Hall (as part of the Steinway Young Artist series), and an appearance performing on BBC Radio London.

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His appearances abroad include recitals at the Conservatorio in Venice, and the Mozart Music Festival in Forli, Italy. Amiri has also had the privilege of working with renowned musicians including Inon Barnatan, Vanessa Latarche and Trio Shaham-Erez-Wallfisch.

Amiri’s Royal Festival Hall concerto debut with Chineke! Orchestra was universally acclaimed, described as a “Royal Festival Hall debut of considerable panache” (Geoff Brown, The Times) as he brought “confidence and a touch of grandiloquence to Grieg’s Piano Concerto.” (Richard Fairman, The Financial Times).

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He was also selected as one of the first Tabor Piano Ambassadors for the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition, representing the Royal College of Music. He continues to work with the competition to deliver education and outreach initiatives.

Amiri uses his versatile music experiences to inspire his playing. Until age 14 he sang as a treble with the renowned Trinity Boys Choir, performing in opera productions at Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Garsington, and English National Opera. He also performed at the Aldeburgh Festival and Amina Mundi Festival in Pisa alongside the Monteverdi Choir and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, as well as touring Japan in 2015.

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Iain Clarke is originally from the Isle of Arran in Scotland and works around London, the UK, and internationally as a collaborative and orchestral pianist. He has performed extensively across the UK in venues including Barbican Hall, Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Snape Maltings,Usher Hall and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Regular chamber partnerships include saxophonist Richard Scholfield (including two tours of Scotland in 2024), horn player Olivia Gandee and cellist Lavinnia Rae.

 

His orchestral work sees him perform regularly with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (including tours to Poland and Belgium), London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bath Festival Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia. He regularly works as an accompanist around the London conservatoires, including holding the fellowship position at the Royal College of Music from 2022-2024 with their woodwind, brass and percussion departments.

 

Iain is a double graduate of the Royal College of Music, holding an Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano and a Master of Performance, studying with Danny Driver, Simon Lepper, Nigel Clayton and Kathron Sturrock. He studied Bachelor of Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating with First Class Honours, where he studied with Jonathan Plowright and Heather Slade-Lipkin. In 2022 he won the keyboard positions on both the London Philharmonic Orchestra Foyle Future Firsts and Philharmonia Orchestra MMSF professional development schemes for orchestral performance.

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