Christopher Richardson
bass-baritone
“Christopher Richardson….. his rich bass baritone a secure anchor…strong and sonorous for solos such as the Tuba mirum….. he gave a commanding performance”
- Heather Leviston, Classic Melbourne
Australian bass-baritone Christopher Richardson is acclaimed for his commanding stage presence and versatility across the oratorio and concert repertoire. A sought-after interpreter of the great sacred works, he has appeared with leading orchestras and choirs throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Christopher’s career is marked by a particular affinity for the music of Handel and Bach. He has performed Messiah with the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and appeared in major Handel oratorios such as Samson and Israel in Egypt. His extensive Bach repertoire encompasses the St. Matthew Passion with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, and St David’s Cathedral, Hobart; the St. John Passion with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; the Christmas Oratorio with the Tasmanian Symphony and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; and the Magnificat with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. He joins Sydney Philharmonia Choirs once more for their 2026 St John Passion, and the Tasmanian Symphony for December’s Messiah.
Christopher is equally at home in the great choral works of the Classical and Romantic repertoire. He has sung Haydn’s Nelson Mass with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, The Seasons with Victoria Chorale, and The Creation with Royal Melbourne Philharmonic. His Beethoven credits include Symphony No. 9 with the Adelaide and Willoughby Symphony Orchestras and the Mass in C with the Melbourne Symphony. He joined the Festival of Voices for Verdi’s Requiem and has sung Mozart’s Requiem with the Melbourne, Queensland, Canberra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Christopher returns to the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2026, singing the baritone solo in Fauré’s Requiem.
On the operatic stage, Christopher has appeared with Pinchgut Opera as Thoas (Iphigénie en Tauride) and Idreno (Armida), as Mr Swallow (Peter Grimes) in his Sydney Symphony Orchestra debut, and in The Enchanted Island for Tasmania’s Ten Days on the Island Festival. He has performed leading roles in fully staged Handel oratorios, including Zebul (Jephtha), Ptolemy (Alexander Balus), and the title role in Hercules.
Dedicated to contemporary Australian music, Christopher has premiered major new works, notably Barry Conyngham’s The Apology of Bony Anderson, David Chisholm’s KURSK: An Oratorio Requiem, Constantine Koukias’ Tesla – Lightning in His Hand, and Christopher Bowen’s An Australian Requiem.
Christopher studied piano at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music before completing a Bachelor of Music in Classical Vocal Performance. He received the Frances MacEachron Award for Outstanding Vocal Achievement at the Oratorio Society of New York’s Solo Competition at Carnegie Hall. He appears on the Decca recording Real and Right and True, featuring songs by Calvin Bowman.
Representation: Worldwide
Christopher’s Personal Site