Richard Joseph Barber is a composer, teacher, conductor, and piano tuner in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Public School Music from Western Michigan University and a Master of Music in Applied Vocal Music from the same.
His teaching experience spans four decades, from Graduate Teaching Assistantship at Western Michigan University in opera workshop, to music theory and appreciation at the high school level, to private piano and voice lessons. In addition to founding a high school orchestra program, he has conducted numerous grade and high school bands and choirs, as well as led several church choirs.
As a baritone he has performed lead roles and solos in a number of operas, musicals, and choral works including Britton’s War Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus, Floyd’s Susannah, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, and several others.
In 1994, Richard earned a Bachelor of Pastoral Ministries at Freedom Farm Bible College and went on to pastor several congregations. Many of his musical compositions were written during this time, in order to meet the specific needs of his church choirs. He now leads the children and adult choirs at High Country Baptist Church and dotes upon his four children, eleven grandchildren, his wife, Nancy, and their two dogs, Lily and Annie.