It’s only forty six pages but at least it’s a book. Christopher Isherwood

My Writing

For many years, I have given public lectures - often combined with a vocal demonstration - about my work with the voice. The success of one of these at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada inspired the suggestion that I use the content as the starting point for a book about my fifty years of work with human sound and its implications.

  When I began to write, I found that what emerged was unlike anything I have encountered on the subject. I found myself writing a host of stories and observations which appeared at first sight to have little to do with the central theme. One thing was certain: I wanted to write for everyone, not just for an elite. Would this form be interesting to a reader or listener? I had to find out.

I gave copies of the writing first to friends, whose response was overwhelmingly positive. Then, knowing that perhaps friends will tend to praise what their friend has written, I began to include extracts in the lectures I gave. First in Toronto, at a combined reading, historical lecture and live demonstration to some 400 people. At the end people came to talk to me - to thank me - but the difference this time was that they were inspired by the writing as much as by the other elements of the evening’s presentation. 

Other successful readings followed: at the Myth and Theatre Festival in France; at the International Workshop Festival in London; then again in Banff for their summer festival, and several more times there over the years. I did readings in Vancouver and Hong Kong, and for the Franklyn Institute in North Carolina . The London and Hong Kong audiences were particularly meaningful to me since for the most part they did not know me. A reading of several stories became an unusual (and I was told very welcome) closing lecture for The 4th International Care of the Professional & Occupational Voice Symposium presented by the Canadian Voice Care Foundation. Each time I read I try out new stories on the listeners.

Kristin Linklater (voice teacher extraordinaire and author of Freeing the Natural Voice and Freeing Shakespeare’s Voice) wrote:

  “Richard is, without doubt, one of the most important voice teachers in the world today, and the fact that he is about to complete his book is nothing short of thrilling. When I first heard Richard read some of the stories at the Myth and Theatre Festival in France some years ago, I loved them, and encouraged him to continue, so unique is his perspective on voice and voice training.”