Give Me Excess of It: A Memoir

Richard Gill is one of Australia's best-known – and best-loved – musical figures. His career has taken him from a music teacher in Sydney's western suburbs to the Music Director of the Victorian Opera, and along the way an involvement with almost every major opera company and orchestra in Australia. To the general public, he's still perhaps best-known for his role in the ABC's Operatunity Oz, and his appearances on Spicks and Specks.

What truly marks Richard out is his passion and enthusiasm for spreading the joy and benefits of music. He is our greatest musical educator, and his life's work – alongside his other roles – has been pushing the role of music in our education system, as well as the education of those who've gone on to choose music as vocation. He brings music alive, and his knowledge and joy in his subject is as brilliantly effective on a class of primary school student as it is to the cast of a major opera.

Give Me Excess of It is Richard's memoir, tracing his life from school days to the heights (and lows) of conducting and directing an opera company. It's warm, extremely funny, highly opinionated, occasionally rude (where warranted) and always sublimely full of the love of music.