Richard Berkeley - singer, cultural animator

Richard Berkeley, whose family comes from Poland, studied singing with Ellis Keeler at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He also took private lessons from Rene Jacobs, Paul Esswood, John York Skinner, Margaret Lobo, and Arwel Trehearne Morgan. He also completed studies at the Faculty of Education at the University of London, Goldsmith College. For 10 years he lived in Italy where he worked as a journalist for RAI Radio 3, actor, composer of film and television music, musicals for children (two of which were filmed by RAI TV), and singer. He performed in the most important Italian concert halls and opera houses including the Rome Opera, Teatro Regio in Turin. He is a co-founder of the well-known Concerto Italiano ensemble. He collaborated with musicians such as Fabio Biondi, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Alan Curtis, Tonio Florio, Paolo Pandolfo, Phillip Picket. As an actor, he appeared alongside stars such as Rutger Hauer, Mickey Rourke, Helena Bonham-Carter, Emily Watson, Vittorio Gasman, Ginacarlo Gianini, Franco Nero.

He is the founder and former director of the Universal Casting London agency. He taught at many renowned acting schools including Mountview Conservatoire for the Performing Arts and LAMDA. He founded and runs The International Course for Music Theatre Performers at the Royal Academy of Music. This initiative is patronized by Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Sir Cameron Mackintosh. He was an assistant to Mark Elder, musical director of the English National Opera (ENO). He also worked on the production of the award-winning BBC TV documentary film „Verdi, a life in two parts'. Since March 2000, he has been living in Poland.