Richard Van Allan is one of Britain's most distinguished bass-baritones. His operatic career began in Glyndebourne in l966. He is a member of English National Opera where he has appeared in many leading roles, and he has also appeared regularly at Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera. He is also Director of the National Opera Studio.

Van Allan's operatic engagements abroad have taken him to New York's Metropolitan, the Paris Opera, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, San Diego, Miami and Seattle. Concert perforrnances have included Beethoven's Ninth, Bruckner's F minor Mass, Dvorak's Te Deum and Berlioz' L'Enfance du Christ and Damnation of Faust (with Sir Simon Rattle). Recordings include Cosi fan tutte with Montserrat Caballe, Janet Baker and Ileana Contrubas conducted by Sir Colin Davis, EMI's recording of Don Giovanni with Bernard Haitink and Gloriana for Decca with Mackerras in which he sang the role of Raleigh.