Biography
About Richard Robert Rossi
While founding and establishing Transcendence initially in 2022 as Erie’s first all professional chorus was one of Maestro Rossi’s visions when he moved to Erie…a dream that became a reality, but now having moved back to his hometown it is now his aspiration that Transcendence makes its new home in Virginia Beach! One of his lifelong goals was to establish, conduct and promote both vocal and instrumental music at the professional level. Rossi hopes for the continued support of generous patrons to help keep this initial dream a continued reality in Virginia Beach, VA.
​
A native of Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, Maestro Rossi grew up in Virginia Beach, VA, where he began to carry on a family tradition of making great music. His father, Anthony F. Rossi, studied opera at the Julliard School of Music and sang professionally in a number of Broadway musicals. In fact, Anthony met his soon- to-be bride, Barbara Winfield, while the couple toured together in the Broadway touring production of South Pacific.
Maestro Rossi holds a DMA in Conducting from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, an MFA in both orchestral and choral conducting from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, a BM in music education with a concentration in piano and organ from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and a Master of Divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary. Over the years, Richard has studied with many renowned maestros including (in alphabetical order): Vance George (choral), Juan Pablo Izquierdo (orchestral), Dennis Keane (choral), Don Moses (choral), Robert Page (choral and opera), Donald Schleicher (orchestral), Fred Stoltzfus (choral), and Sandra Willetts (choral).
Rossi has conducted many choirs, orchestras, operas and musical theater productions in his career both locally and nationally. Serving as the chorus master for several seasons with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in Springfield, Illinois, Rossi conducted such works as Fantasia on Christmas Carols by R. V. Williams, Fauré, Mozart and Duruflé Requiem’s as well as others. Opera performances include Dialogue of the Carmelites and Die Fledermaus while he resided in the Pittsburgh, PA. In the Fall of 1999 while working on his doctorate, Richard was appointed the Conductor of the University of Illinois Main Stage Opera Production of The Barber of Seville by Rossini. This was the first time a graduate student received the honor of conducting an opera. That same year, Richard was awarded the ALEX Award in the performing arts category from the National Alliance for Excellence from New Jersey; he was chosen as the most out- standing student conductor in America.
Prior to moving back to his hometown, Virginia Beach, VA in 2023, Richard spent 20 years at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, IL serving as Director of Orchestral Activities and Choral Activities directing the Eastern Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Concert Choir, Oratorio Society and taught both graduate and advanced undergraduate conducting and organ. In the Fall of 2019, Richard began a new venture by launching Charleston’s first professional orchestra, the Camerata Sinfonietta.
Before living in the Midwest, Richard was also the Conductor/Music Director of The Saint Vincent Camerata for ten years in Latrobe, PA, and the founder and director of The Saint Vincent Camerata Chamber Orchestra, The Saint Vincent College Singers, Troubadours and The Abbey Singers (a professional vocal sextet) who in 1996 had the privilege of performing with The Pittsburgh Symphony under the direction of Marvin Hamlisch in “A Search for a Star” competition in which the ensemble won first place. While at Saint Vincent, Richard directed and produced many recordings that continue to be aired on local and national public radio. Recordings include Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, and Fauré’s Requiem as well as some of Rossi’s own compositions.
​
In addition to his extensive conducting career, Richard has performed as a countertenor across the globe. The most recent solo performance was singing the role of the Sorcerer in Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas. Other performances include Händel’s Dixit Dominum and Vivaldi’s Gloria alto solos with the Chatham Baroque and the St. Vincent Camerata as well as Händel’s Messiah. Other solo performances include the Peri/Caccini opera L’Euridice, a historical performance, Händel’s Messiah, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Purcell’s Ode to St. Cecilia and Come Ye Sons of Art and Orff’s Carmina Burana. Richard can also be heard as one of the soloists in the recording of Leonardo Balada’s Torquemada, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize recorded while attending Carnegie Mellon University.
​
Richard was one of the original founding members of the acclaimed vocal ensemble Choragós at the University of Illinois. The six-member Choragós Ensemble was formed in the Fall of 1999 at the request of the Alamire Foundation, based in Leuven, Belgium. Performances include Medieval and Renaissance Conference in Jena, Germany, including tours to Berlin and Weimar. Additionally, the group performed several concerts in France (July 2003), the American Choral Director’s Association National Convention in San Antonio, Texas (March 2001), the American Musicological Society International Conference in Toronto, Ontario (November 2000), and the Alamire Conferences held in Belgium, Tours & Germany. Other performances include the University of Illinois Krannert for the Performing Arts Summer Series.
​
In his “free time,” Richard composes sacred and secular music for performance and publication through several publishers including Colla Voce Publ.in Indianapolis, IN where Richard was selected as composer of the Month in September 2013 and featured in July 2019 as composer of the week for Christmas in July. Richard also won the 2015 Illinois-ACDA Choral Composition Contest with his sacred Latin choral work, O Sacrum Convivium, which is published with Santa Barbara Music Publishing and will be performed by Transcendence this Spring 2023. He also publishes with GIA Publications in Chicago and MusicSpoke Publications.