Richard started piano lessons in third grade. He went on to play tuba in his high school band, and then came to James Madison University as a piano and tuba major. He was the drum major for the marching band, played in a variety of other bands such as symphonic and concert band, and sang with the men’s chorus. He also dabbled in a variety of instruments such as the flute, clarinet, and saxophone. The year before last he was a student teacher at HHS.

“HHS is awesome!” Richard said. “I had a really great teaching experience. I have a really great time working with Ms. Houff and Mr. Snow and Mr. Nesmith.” He also enjoys working with the musical, as it gives him a rare chance to play piano, but admits the show is not without it’s challenges.
“[The hardest part of the show is] making sure that all the little moving parts are working together,” Richard said. In addition to playing piano, he also rehearses vocals for the cast. His previous musical theater experience includes being director of a non-profit musical theater summer camp in Northern Virginia called “The Growing Stage.” If he were performing in Les Mis instead of playing the piano, he would want to play the show’s villain, Javert.

“[Javert’s] character is so conflicted. I find the internal conflict  very interesting,” Richard said. His favorite song in the show to play is “Stars”, one of Javert’s solos.

When Richard is not consumed with music for his job, he prefers to listen to Indie music. Other hobbies include motorcycling, being outdoors, hiking and camping.

“Music takes up a lot of my life,” Richard said. His advice to those who also want to pursue music as a career is simply to practice. “I’ve never felt that talented, I just had to put in a lot of time.” He will continue to live by that mantra until opening night.