Profile

Richard Robbins

Chorus Director & James Erb Choral Chair

RICHARD W. ROBBINS is Chorus Director and James Erb Choral Chair of the Richmond Symphony Chorus. He has earned national recognition for his work, with the press describing his choruses as “moving” (Houston Chronicle) and “powerful” (Duluth News Tribune). A sought-after conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, he has led festivals and engagements in major cities across the United States and internationally.

​Robbins made his conducting debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in 2024, leading Handel’s Messiah, and was appointed Chorus Master of the Opera Festival of Chicago in 2025. He brings extensive experience in preparing choruses for orchestra, having served in leadership roles with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet, and Houston Symphony Chorus, and collaborating with conductors including Valentina Peleggi, Hans Graf, Ermanno Florio, Christoph Eschenbach, Dirk Meyer, Emanuele Andrizzi, and Stephen Cleobury.

His work spans a broad range of choral-orchestral repertoire, including principal chorus preparation for notable performances of Bohuslav Martinů’s Field Mass ​with the Houston Ballet, the first U.S. performance of the full orchestration of Gustav Holst’s The Cloud Messenger, and Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, broadcast on PBS. He has also conducted premieres of works by Daniel Knaggs and is featured on the recording A New Springtime.
Internationally, Robbins has conducted and lectured in Poland, Lebanon, Portugal, and Spain. A tenured professor of choral studies, he has held university appointments at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Shenandoah Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin–Superior, and the University of Houston. In addition to his conducting career, he serves as Choral Editor and Market Development Manager for Oregon Catholic Press. An ecumenical church musician, he has held leadership roles in Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal traditions.