Jude Richardson

Born in Bermuda, Jude’s early musical upbringing was in Afro-American spirituals and hymns, but as a boy he became captivated by classical music after being gifted music CDs by family friends. Fascinated by music and performing, Jude began to teach himself the piano, and by age 13 he was playing a wide variety of advanced repertoire. After hearing Jude play Chopin’s challenging Fantasie Impromptu, ex-jazz trumpeter and piano technician Carl Shechtman sought support for Jude through arts non-profits and scholarship programmes, securing funding for him to begin taking formal piano lessons at the Bermuda School of Music. Thanks to the generosity of the Bermuda arts community, Jude was fortunate to go on to study music in Denver USA with professional pianist and professor Alice Rybak, who prepared him for university music auditions. He won the David & Barbara Jacobs Scholarship at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, which further supported his studies with international competition-winning pianist Evelyne Brancart. Jude performed widely in Bermuda and the USA, including at Bermuda’s Premier’s Concerts (2014 & 2017), for Indiana University’s Summer Piano Academy (2014- 2018), and in countless other recitals, events and fundraisers. Arriving in Leicester in 2022, Jude has performed as soloist with the University of Leicester Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr. Paul Jenkins, acted as accompanist to the University Chorus, and worked with student vocalists. He performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor in June 2023 with the Rugby Rococo Players, and last year performed Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Leicester Symphony Orchestra under Dexter Drown at De Montfort Hall. In addition to performing, Jude writes his own music and teaches piano both privately and in schools around the county.