Richard Stoker

Richard Stoker (8 November 1938 – 24 March 2021) was a British composer, writer, actor, artist, and educator. Best known for his orchestral, chamber, operatic, and choral compositions, he was associated with a modern yet accessible musical style and spent much of his career teaching at the Royal Academy of Music. Early life and education Richard Stoker was born on 8 November 1938 in Castleford, Yorkshire, England, into a family with a strong musical tradition. He demonstrated musical ability from an early age and became fascinated with the piano keyboard as a child. He began playing the piano at the age of six and started composing music by the age of seven. His earliest musical instruction came from family members, including an uncle who provided piano lessons. At the age of 15, Stoker attended Huddersfield Technical College, where he studied composition and piano with Harold Truscott and Winifred Smith. During this period he attracted encouragement from musicians including Eric Fenby, Arthur Benjamin, and Benjamin Britten, all of whom recognized his early compositional talent. In 1958, Stoker entered the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied composition under Lennox