Michael Richards Celebration of Life

The campus community was saddened by the recent passing of Dr. E. Michael Richards, professor emeritus of music. One of the world’s leading interpreters of contemporary music for the clarinet, Michael was an exemplary performer, researcher, and educator. He joined the UMBC faculty in 2001, was promoted to full professor in 2009, and twice served as chair of the music department before retiring with emeritus status in 2021. Please read more about his remarkable work here.

We hope you will be able to join us, either in person or online, on Tuesday evening, March 7 at 6pm in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, as we celebrate Michael’s life. This event will be livestreamed on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/event/3008511.

We feel that a fitting conclusion to our event will be a reading of Elgar’s Nimrod, from his Enigma Variations. This work was a favorite of Michael’s, and one of the last works he conducted as director of the UMBC Symphony Orchestra. It also is a beautiful message from a friend, with a rich tradition of performances honoring departed musicians. While not a performance, this reading offers us the chance to casually come together as artists and collectively share a musical offering for a friend. All current and former members of the UMBC Symphony, as well as any UMBC faculty or colleagues are welcome to participate. The instrumentation is full symphony orchestra with timpani and no other percussion. If you are interested in performing, please go here for information and links to the music.