Bass

Ashley Riches

From 2012-14 he was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, where he made his debut in a duet with Robert Alagna and represented the house at a gala celebrating Young Artist Programmes at the Bolshoi Theatre. He is currently a BBC New Generation Artist.

Highlights of this season include Creon in Stravinsky Oedipus Rex with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Berlin Philharmonic, Purcell The Fairy Queen with Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music, a European tour of Bach Christmas Oratorio with Masaki Suzuki and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ferryman in Britten Curlew River with the Britten Sinfonia at the new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Pirate King in Mike Leigh’s production of The Pirates of Penzance at English National Opera and the title role in Mozart Don Giovanni for Opera Holland Park, along with song recitals and recordings with Simon Lepper, Sholto Kynoch, Anna Tilbrook and Joseph Middleton.

His song discography includes Poulenc Chansons Gaillardes with Graham Johnson (Hyperion), the songs of Arthur Sullivan with David Owen Norris (Chandos) and a world premier recording of the Shakespeare Sonnets of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with Emma Abbate(Resonus). He has also recorded Handel L’Allegro, il Pensieroso ed il Moderato with the Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh (Gabrieli)Bach St Matthew Passion (Bass arias, Pilate) with the Monteverdi Choir (Soli Deo Gloria) and Bach St John Passion (Jesus) with Crouch End Festival Chorus, the first recording in English for over fifty years.

When not singing, he enjoys playing squash and the Times crossword

Films & Videos

Brockes Passion – Part 2

Brockes Passion – Part 2

Adrian Horsewood · Anastasia Bevan · Ashley Riches · Edmund Hastings · Harry Bicket · Hilary Cronin · Jess Dandy · Josh Lovell · Lauren Lodge-Campbell · Morgan Pearse · Nardus Williams · Robert Murray · Susanna Spicer

Brockes Passion – Part 1

Brockes Passion – Part 1

Adrian Horsewood · Anastasia Bevan · Ashley Riches · Harry Bicket · Hilary Cronin · Jess Dandy · Josh Lovell · Lauren Lodge-Campbell · Morgan Pearse · Nardus Williams · Robert Murray · Susanna Spicer

Recordings

Press & Blog

Handel’s Rinaldo on Tour – October 2025

Handel’s Rinaldo on Tour – October 2025

When Rinaldo premiered in 1711, it cemented Handel at the forefront of London’s operatic landscape. To this day, it remains one of his most-revered works.…

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