Richard Gill is one of Australia's best-known - and best-loved - musical figures. His career has taken him from teaching music in Sydney's western suburbs to Music Director of the Victorian Opera, and along the way an involvement with almost every major opera company and orchestra in Australia.

What truly distinguishes Richard is his passion and enthusiasm for spreading not just the joy of music, but its myriad benefits. He is our greatest musical educator, and his life's work - alongside his other roles - has been advocating music in our education system, and furthering the development of those who've gone on to choose music as a vocation. He brings music to life, and his knowledge and deep enjoyment of his subject is as inspiring and enlightening to a class of primary school students 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 highs (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.