Dr. Eric Richards is the Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) School of Music, situated in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. At UNL, he works alongside first-year through doctoral applied composition students (classical and jazz/vernacular styles), teaches related courses (e.g., Orchestration, Jazz Arranging) and directs the award-winning UNL Jazz Orchestra.
A versatile composer/arranger, conductor, trombonist and educator active in a wide range of musical media and styles, he defines himself as a “contemporary American eclectic”. He has written music for groups ranging from rural high school marching bands to chamber music ensembles to nationally recognized big bands and symphony orchestras. Eric’s music has been heard worldwide in performances and recordings by ensembles to include:
• The US Army Field Band
• The Army Jazz Ambassadors
• The Boston Pops Orchestra
• The National Symphony Orchestra
• The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
• The USAF Band (Washington DC)
• The USAF Airmen of Note
• The US Marine Band (The President’s Own)
• The US Army Band (Pershing’s Own)
• The Army Blues
• The US Navy Band (Washington DC)
• The Navy Commodores
• The Dallas Wind Symphony
• The St. Johns River City Band
• The University of North Texas Wind Ensemble
• The University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble ONE
• The University Of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band I
• The Northern Illinois University Jazz Ensemble
• The Sunrise String Quartet
A regularly commissioned composer and arranger, he has written commissions for ensembles such as:
• The US Army Jazz Ambassadors
• The USAF Brass In Blue with Joseph Alessi, guest soloist
• The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Jazz Ensemble
• The University Of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab Band I
• The Texas A & M-Kingsville University Jazz Band I
• The Winona State University Chamber Orchestra
• The USAF Heritage Of America Band
• The UNC Greeley Jazz Festival All Star Big Band
• The Hall High School Concert Jazz Band and Studio Orchestra (West Hartford, CT)
• The King Of Thailand
• The Pennsylvania IAJE High School All-State Jazz Ensemble
• The Trinity Brass (Omaha NE)
• The US Army Continental Army Band
As a conductor and clinician, Eric has worked in a broad array of settings ranging from live concerts of jazz, concert, and chamber music to commercial recording sessions. He has led numerous ensembles in performances, recordings, rehearsals, and clinics:
• The United States Army Field Band (Concert Band, Jazz Ambassadors, and chamber ensembles)
• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jazz Orchestra and UNL Big Band
• The University of Nebraska at Omaha Jazz Ensemble I
• The Connecticut All-State High School Jazz Ensemble
• The North Dakota All-State High School Jazz Ensemble
• The South Dakota All-State High School Jazz Ensemble
• The Duquesne University Jazz Ensemble
• The Duquesne University Lab Band
• The Anne Arundel Community College Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Brass Ensemble
• The Midland University Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Brass Ensemble
• The Bay Winds Community Band (Annapolis MD)
• The Anne Arundel All County Jazz Ensemble
Eric’s work as a trombonist and composer/arranger has been heard at the Montreux, Vienne, North Sea, and Nice Jazz Festivals in Europe and in performances across the United States, Europe, Asia and India. As a trombonist, he has performed with numerous ensembles to include: The US Army Jazz Ambassadors, The US Army Field Band, The Omaha Jazz Orchestra, The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, the Washington DC–based Klezmer group Lox & Vodka, and numerous commercial and variety bands. He has shared the stage with artists such as Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Liebman, Joe Morello, Jim Pugh, Ben Vereen, Jack Jones, and The Fifth Dimension. In 1999, Eric’s 25-minute retrospective of the music of Duke Ellington for jazz ensemble and symphony orchestra, An Ellington Centennial Portrait, was premiered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the US Army Jazz Ambassadors under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch. This piece was subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz Ambassadors and has since been performed by numerous major orchestras across the United States.
In 2004, he honorably retired as a Master Sergeant (E-8) from two decades of service as Composer/Arranger with The United States Army Field Band (the Army’s primary touring musical ensemble) based near Washington DC.
Eric holds the Doctor of Musical Arts (Composition) degree from The University of Maryland at College Park where he studied with Mark Wilson and Robert Gibson, and earned the Master of Music (Composition) degree from Duquesne University where he studied with John Wilson and Joseph Wilcox Jenkins.
Eric’s music is published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company, Belwin Jazz Publications (Alfred), FJH Music, and The University of Northern Colorado’s UNC Jazz Press. He also self-publishes his works.
Eric resides in Saunders County, Nebraska with his wife Lanelle and sons Gabriel, Logan, Christian, and Josiah.
For more information on Eric's music, please visit www.ericrichards.com
