Biographies

Musical Director: Richard Bishop

Richards day job is a GP, but he has always been heavily involved in music. He was taught piano by his dad, sang in the local church choir, and then took oboe and singing lessons at secondary school, where he was first inspired to conduct by his music teacher, Peter Vernon.

His first orchestral experiences were as an oboist with Oxfordshire Youth Orchestra. He studied music at Royal Holloway College, where he was choral scholar, and was taught by Lionel Poke and the American conductor Peter Lipari. Richards first conducting experience was with the college chamber orchestra, but he quickly moved into conducting musical theatre, and was musical director of a number of amateur musical societies from Chichester to Birmingham over a 15 year period. During this time he learned to play the bagpipes for a production of the Scottish musical Brigadoon.

Together with fellow medic James Weitz, he helped set up Wokingham Philharmonic Orchestra in 2025 conducting their inaugural concert the following year.

Leader: Robin Scurlock

Having learnt to play piano and violin at school, Robin's early involvement with orchestral playing was with Southampton Youth Orchestra, and then, like Richard, at Royal Holloway College. He has subsequently performed with local orchestras and theatres wherever he has lived.

Robin has lived in Wokingham for over 30 years during which time he has been a Deacon at the Baptist Church, a Governor at Luckley House School, a Trustee for More Arts Wokingham and recently Chair of Members for the Circle Multi-Academy Trust.

Inspired by meeting "lapsed" musicians who express disappointment at having given up playing earlier in life, Robin set up YouTooMusic in 2018 to encourage "used to play" musicians to rediscover their talent through community-building workshops and ensembles.

Robin says "Wokingham Philharmonic is a new orchestra in a growing town where there are many musicians/ many of whom have not played in public for years. For them, picking up an instrument again is a big step and I am delighted to be leading WPO.