Richard feels fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct the South Huron Community Choirs.  Richard has been involved in community music making from an early age, starting with the community band in his hometown in Austria.  In Canada he has conducted a wide variety of choirs, community choirs, church choirs, youth choirs, college choirs, choirs for people with disabilities, and ethnic choirs.  In addition to his work with the South Huron Community Choirs, he serves as music director and organist at the Anglican Church of St. Andrew’s in Scarborough, as music director of the Aurora Evergreen Choir and the County Town Singers of Durham Region.

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Richard believes in the power of music as a tool for outreach and community building.  At Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church, under his guidance, the music outreach program expanded by touring in the area with the South Huron Community Choir, holding hymn sings to raise funds for the food bank and inspiring the Youth Choir to raise funds for the Nepal earth quake victims with the musical play “The Drum.”  For three years, he worked as Adjunct Professor of Music at Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, conducting two choirs as well as teaching ensembles, organ, piano, music theory and music history.  Richard has held positions at All Saints Catholic Church in Etobicoke, Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church,

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St. James the Apostle Anglican Church in Brampton and has conducted choirs, orchestras and operas in Canada, the United States, and in his

native Austria.

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He graduated from Carleton University with a B.A. in music, from University of Arkansas with a Masters in conducting, and from Ball State University in Indiana with a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting.

Since 2001, Richard has lived in Richmond Hill with his wife Lourdes and their sons Christopher and Benjamin.