Richard Hetherington

Richard Hetherington is a British conductor and pianist and is Head of Music of The Royal Opera, a position kindly supported by Bertrand and Elisabeth Meunier. Following early performances at The Royal Opera as a solo treble, he studied at the Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio, and was Music Director of the Ustinov Studio (2022–24). Hetherington has worked with companies including Netherlands Opera and Opera Australia, and at the Aix-en-Provence, BBC Proms, Salzburg, Vienna and St Endellion festivals. For The Royal Opera he has conducted Lucia di Lammermoor, La traviata, La sonnambula, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, Peter Grimes and Phaedra. Recent conducting highlights include The Turn of the Screw (Istanbul State Opera and Ballet), a film of La traviata for Opera GlassWorks, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers (Spoleto Festival), Le nozze di Figaro (Aix-en-Provence) and Don Giovanni (Brussels).