Orchestra conductor Richard Farnes recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list

Our congratulations to King's alumnus Richard Farnes (KC 1983), who has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music in the New Year Honours list for 2026.

Richard’s distinguished career spans both symphonic music and opera. He was a Chorister in the King's College Choir before entering Eton College as a music scholar in 1977. He returned to King's as Organ Scholar in 1983, and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the National Opera Studio. He has conducted a wide range of orchestras in the UK and across the world. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra he has appeared at the BBC Proms in London and at the Dubai Proms. From 2004 to 2016 he was Music Director of Opera North in Leeds.