About

Richard Scholfield is an award-winning Scottish saxophonist praised for his “silken” sound (The Scotsman) and thoughtful programming. He forges a deep connection with audiences through his characterful playing and careful presentation, drawing them into the world of the saxophone as he explores both its storied past and bright future.

“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.”

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

Richard is passionate about chamber music, and his collaborations with other artists are diverse and wide-ranging. His Tunnell Trust award-winning duo with pianist Iain Clarke (Scholfield-Clarke Duo) embarked on their first Scottish tour in February this year, introducing audiences to the saxophone's unique original repertoire through a series of six recitals across the country - including the premier performances of John De Simone's new work 'Another Life'. Richard also features in an upcoming album release (1st March) in collaboration with soprano Stephanie Lamprea, composer Tom W Green, and a host of other talented improvisers - 'Don't Add to Heartache' features live recordings from their multidisciplinary, semi-improvised show Anthropocene Garden, which ran for six nights at the 2023 Hidden Door Festival.

Alongside his desire to showcase the saxophone’s diverse and often underappreciated repertoire, Richard is a prolific arranger and transcriber. Recently, he was comissioned to create an orchestral arrangement of William Grant Still's Romance, to be performed by Metropolitan Opera principal bass trombonist Denson Paul Pollard in concerto appearences in the 2023/2024 season. He also delights in the process of re-interpreting and experimenting with historical works through the lens of his own distinctly modern instrument, and is always on the lookout for music that might fit into his solo repertoire or suit one of his many diverse chamber projects. As well as solo and duo transcriptions from composers such as J.S. Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Amy Beach and Olivier Messiaen, he has created original arrangements for all sizes of chamber ensemble – from duos for the Scholfield-Kileen Duo (clarinet and saxophone), through to saxophone quartet pieces, and quintets in partnership with the Resol String Quartet.

Richard is a 2020 City Music Foundation artist, and earned first prize in the 2023 Croydon Concerto Competition, as well as gaining second prize in the 2022 Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition at Mayfield Festival. He was also one of the recipients of the 2023 Arosa Kultur Hans-Schaeuble Award, giving him the chance to travel to Switzerland for a recital tour alongside other saxophonists and accordionists in March 2024. He has performed concerti with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra and the Kelvin Ensemble. Richard has also performed in concert with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of Scottish Opera and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

Richard gained a Master of Arts degree in saxophone performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2019 under Josef Pacewicz and visiting professor Arno Bornkamp. He has also attended several prestigious national and international courses, including the Arosa Music Academy (2023), London Sinfonietta Academy (2019) and European University of Saxophone (2019). During his studies he was awarded the Governors’ Recital Prize for Woodwind, as well as being awarded twice the Governors’ Recital Prize for Chamber Music. He attained first prize at the 2018 RCS Woodwind Concerto Competition, giving him the opportunity to perform Edward Gregson’s saxophone concerto with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Perth Concert Hall.

Richard plays a Selmer Series II Alto Saxophone with a Selmer Supreme neck, and a Selmer Mark VI Soprano Saxophone (with Lagan Wrist Saver). He plays on a Selmer S90 180 alto mouthpiece, and a Selmer Concept soprano mouthpiece, exclusively using Legere synthetic reeds.