Evan Scott Richards

Evan Scott Richards is a Southern California-native conductor and tenor establishing himself in the opera and choral-orchestral spheres. Richards made his European debut on the podium conducting Umberto Giordano's Mese Mariano in Arezzo, Italy, and was subsequently appointed as Conductor of the Opera Seme Festival in 2025. This July, he returned to Opera Seme to conduct Così fan tutte. The following month, he took up residency at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Yale School of Music) as a Choral Fellow.

In the Los Angeles / Orange County Area, Richards is an active opera and choral artist, serving as Apprentice Conductor for the Parnassus Society, Assistant Conductor of the Laguna Beach Chamber Singers, Tenor Section Leader of St. Wilfrid of York, Vocal Coach for El Dorado High School, and sings with Shade and Vox Ardens of Sts. Peter & Paul.

His operatic credits include his European role debut of Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) with Pacific Symphony: Opera for Kids, Paolino (Il matrimonio segreto), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Prince Charming (Cendrillon), and the Third Vendor in Las Tres Mujeres de Jerusalén (its World Premiere) with LA Opera, conducted by James Conlon.

Richards holds degrees in Opera and Orchestral Conducting from Chapman University's Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music. He served for three years as Assistant Conductor for Opera Chapman and the University Singers, and tenor soloist for the Early Music Ensemble. His tenure culminated in leading a program featuring Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with The Chapman Orchestra and University Singers, alongside Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer with baritone Marc Callahan. He recently collaborated to prepare Dvorák's Rusalka at the Musco Center.
In the same capacity, he prepared the award-winning West Coast premieres of Robert Moran's From the Towers of the Moon (2024) and Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2025).

Richards was a boy soprano soloist with the All-American Boys Chorus for eight years, performing in over 700 concerts and events across Asia and North America. His extensive discography with the ensemble included three projects at Capitol Records. He collaborated with Chanticleer, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, David Benoit, Peter Hollens, and BYU Vocal Point, among others. Following his tenure, he joined the organization's faculty, mentoring the next generation of musicians.
Concurrently, Richards studied at the Orange County School of the Arts Classical Voice Conservatory.

He is a recipient of the Bramlage Opera Conducting Award, Thomas G. Hall Early Music Award, AABC Outstanding Alumnus, and the Spirit of OCSA Award. His principal mentors include Stephen Coker, Carl St. Clair, Patrick Goeser, Renato Palumbo, Bruce Bales, Jacob Sustaita, and Ryan Brown. A fourth-generation Disneyland cast member and avid sailor, Richards draws continuous inspiration for his music from travels and time outdoors.