Richard Van Hessel is a founding member of the Whole Noyse. He studied trombone at S.U.N.Y. at Purchase with Roger Smith and John Swallow, and has performed at Shakespeare festivals in California, Utah and Oregon, where he also served as director of the musicians. Mr. Hessel has a special interest in the English Ballad literature of the 16th through 18th centuries, and has published a collection of ballads, "A Reveller's Jovial Companion". He plays with the ensemble The Carman's Whistle, which specializes in this repertoire. Mr. Hessel has performed with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of the West, the American Bach Soloists, the American Classical Soloists, and at the Aston Magna Festival. He can be heard on recordings with The Whole Noyse, Magnificat, the American Bach Soloists, and the Vancouver Cantata Singers.