Richard Barrett
Artistic director, voice teacher, conductor
The career of Texan Conductor, Richard Barrett, has spanned 4 decades. The New York Times has praised Barrett for his performances “precise and well paced – drawing a beautiful sound from his players.” He is known internationally for his exciting yet nuanced conducting.
From 1993 to 2000 Mr. Barrett was Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor for Fort Worth Opera. There, he conducted the inaugural concert at the Bass Performance Hall of Fort Worth in a gala concert with celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, subsequently conducting La Bohème, the first opera heard in this hall.
Important evenings during his tenure in Fort Worth also include Aida, Don Giovanni, Susannah, Cosi Fan Tutte, and Lucia di Lammermoor. Wayne Lee Gay, Fort Worth Star-Telegram music critic, rated Barrett’s performance of Lucia di Lammermoor as number three, following Itzhak Pearlman and Renee Fleming during Bass Hall’s inaugural season.
For the last eight years Barrett has led the Orchestra at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music where he produced the American Premiere of Darius Milhaud’s opera Christopher Colomb, as well as producing a film version of Aaron Copland’s opera Tenderland. The film won the Telly award for Outstanding Production.
Mr. Barrett currently works with several Young Artist programs including the China National Opera-Beijing, Israeli Vocal Arts Institute, Tel Aviv and the Nagano Summer Vocal Institute, Nagano, Japan.
In Oct. 2012, Mr. Barrett was appointed Music Director of Opera Nevada.
In April 2013, he was invited to the Moscow Conservatory give Master classes.
Maestro Barrett is a tenured Professor at Brooklyn College, City University of New York, serving as director of the Opera Theatre and Voice Department
