Mr. Lorne Richstone is the Associate Professor of Opera and Vocal Coaching at the University of Oklahoma School Of Music.
Following the completion of his undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, he moved to Germany to further his musical education, studying piano and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold (1979‒80) and with the aid of a DAAD Scholarship, vocal accompaniment at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (1980‒81).
In 1982 Mr. Richstone was appointed opera coach at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, a position he held until 2006. There he played under a host of prominent conductors and coached and appeared in performances with many of the world’s leading singers. In addition, Mr. Richstone taught vocal repertoire at both the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik and Universität der Künste in Berlin. Mr. Richstone has concertized and has given master classes in China, Germany, Austria, Israel, the United States, and Canada. He coached Die Zauberflöte for the Opera Lyra Ottawa, Canada, Don Carlos for the Latvijas Nacionālā Opera in Riga, Latvia, and Carmen and Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Shanghai Opera, China.
At the International Music Festival Macau, he concertized frequently with singers and played for productions of Roméo et Juliette, Le nozze di Figaro, Rigoletto, and Der Freischütz. At the prestigious Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland, he played for productions of Madama Butterfly and Der fliegende Holländer. In May 2010 Mr. Richstone gave master classes and concertized in Beijing, China and in July 2010 he conducted master classes for the Greek Opera Studio in Syros, Greece. In 2011‒2012 Mr. Richstone coached and performed at the Taos Opera Institute, New Mexico and in August 2012 Mr. Richstone participated in the Ars Vocalis México Festival in Zamora, México.
In the summer of 2013, Mr. Richstone coached singers and pianists at The Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, where he also judged the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. Since 2013, Mr. Richstone has given master classes at the Bel Canto Summer Voice Program in Munich, Germany. In 2018 he gave a series of master classes at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada, and in 2021 for the Hong Kong Young Artists program.
His recordings include Carmina Burana and Salome for Deutsche Gramophon, La vita nuova for Koch-Schwann and Jakob Lenz for Harmonia Mundi.