The man behind the voice – Richard Armstrong

The lights go down. You settle into your seat. The music starts. Then a familiar booming voice says, “Welcome to the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival." The moment many of us wait for each year – whether you are in Banff or Antarctica – this is the voice that is synonymous with the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. So, just who is the man behind this iconic voice?

With a teaching and acting career that has taken him to some of the world’s top theatres, Richard Armstrong’s career is one that many in the theatre industry can only dream about. Recently retired from teaching at New York University in 2019, he is well-known on the Banff stage as a revered instructor for 30 years. Richard fell into voice work, having started his career as an actor. His focus redirected to how actors and opera singers use their voices in a deeper, more introspective way. “It was the mid ‘60s, and I was in my early twenties wanting something more. Voice work became a vocal audible manifestation of that idea.” Soon he began expanding his work to dive into the use of the voice as a pallet of colour when acting or singing, adding a new dimension to theatre art.

While teaching his International Voice Workshop at Banff Centre (1989-2015) , Richard became the voice of the Banff Mountain Film Festival. “I can’t  remember how it started; it just became a project I did every year while at the Banff Centre to teach,” Richard recalls. “There was so much collaboration and many side projects going on at the Centre, I did a lot of creating there. I think the Film Fest is my only actual voice-over work,” Richard notes.

When you hear him speak on screen, he has a deep voice with resonating tones and a hint of a British accent, similar to the way he sounds in person. When asked how he came up with the “voice” of the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, he said, “it’s my voice for the most part. There is always a degree of performance. I wanted my voice to be a reflection of the drama and visuals that play on screen.”

Before everything shut down with the pandemic, Richard attended the 2019 New York City screening of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour and did the entire intro live for the audience. It was a performance similar to what he does in a recording studio each year. He warmed up his vocal cords and found movement in his actions, then stepped on stage and said his favourite part of the introduction, “Welcome,” with his signature voice full of life and action.

When you listen to Richard welcoming you to the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, think of the man and artist behind the voice, putting on a performance just for you. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Author: Kenna Ozbick