Leadership

Director - Richard W. Robbins

RICHARD W. ROBBINS is Chorus Director and James Erb Choral Chair of the Richmond Symphony Chorus. His choruses have been described by the press as “moving” (Houston Chronicle) and “powerful” (Duluth News Tribune). He has conducted choral festivals throughout the United States and internationally.

Robbins made his conducting debut with the Richmond Symphony in 2024, leading Handel’s Messiah, and served as Chorus Master of the Opera Festival of Chicago for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. He has extensive experience preparing choruses for orchestral performance through his work with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Houston Ballet, and Houston Symphony Chorus. He has collaborated with conductors including Valentina Peleggi, Hans Graf, Ermanno Florio, Christoph Eschenbach, Dirk Meyer, Emanuele Andrizzi, and Stephen Cleobury.

His choral-orchestral work has included principal chorus preparation for Bohuslav Martinů’s Field Mass with Houston Ballet, the first United States performance of the complete orchestration of Gustav Holst’s The Cloud Messenger, and Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, broadcast on PBS. He has also conducted premieres of works by Daniel Knaggs and appears on the recording A New Springtime.

Robbins has conducted and lectured in Poland, Lebanon, Portugal, and Spain. He previously held faculty appointments at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Shenandoah Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin–Superior, and the University of Houston.

In addition to his work with the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Robbins serves as Minister of Music at River Road Church and as Choral Editor and Market Development Manager for Oregon Catholic Press. He and his family are excited to have recently relocated to Richmond.

Assistant Director - Kevin Barger

KEVIN BARGER has served as the Director of Music Ministry at Epiphany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Richmond, Virginia since 1997. At Epiphany, he has responsibility for serving as the church’s organist as well as leading adult and children’s vocal choirs, adult handbells, brass and wind/string ensembles as well as youth music activities. Kevin has been a member of the Richmond Symphony chorus for more than 25 years and, in addition to singing, has served as the assistant rehearsal pianist for several years.

Kevin has served on the worship committee for the Virginia Synod (ELCA), and he has served as an instructor for the Synod’s Power in the Spirit on several occasions. He was a faculty member of the Leadership Program for Musicians for several years.

Kevin recently completed his term as President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and is currently serving as Past President of the organization. Kevin received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Thiel College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Rehearsal Pianist - Daniel Stipe

DANIEL STIPE is equally at home as a solo recitalist, collaborator and arranger on both the piano and the organ.

He earned a BM in organ and piano performance from the University of North Texas in 2006, studying with Adam Wodnicki and Jesse Eschbach. He served as assistant university organist at the University of the South from 2007-2010, and he earned a MM in organ performance from Westminster Choir College in 2012 studying with Ken Cowan.

He is a prizewinner in the William Hall Pipe Organ Competition in San Antonio, the Tulsa Crescendo Music Awards, the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition, and the AGO/Quimby Region VII Competition for Young Organists. In 2022 he was a featured recitalist at the convention of the Association of Anglican Musicians in Richmond.

As a collaborator, Daniel has worked with dozens of vocal and choral ensembles, and has an extensive knowledge of the string and wind repertory. He is a founding member of the Piedmont Singers of Central Virginia, a professional vocal octet focusing on works by living composers. He was chosen to be one of the staff accompanists for the 2020 Menuhin International violin competition. He plays regularly with the Richmond Symphony. Since 2007 he has served as accompanist for the North Texas Children’s Choir festivals in Dallas, working with acclaimed clinicians like Ruth Dwyer, Herbert Washington, Julie Yu, and Rollo Dilworth.

Daniel lives in Richmond, where he serves as accompanist for the Richmond Symphony Chorus, and as principal organist at All Saints Episcopal Church. Since 2017 he has tuned and serviced pianos in the Richmond area. In his spare time he enjoys road cycling, hiking, role-playing games, and good literature.

Chorus Manager - Janice Guzman

JANICE GUZMAN is an arts administrator from Chesapeake, Virginia who strives to make performances a fulfilling experience for both musicians and audience members. Their background in education and work in various arts organizations strengthen their belief that the performing arts can make profound impressions on people of all identities and backgrounds. They have special interests in choral music, ensemble managing, and performing arts education. Janice earned their bachelor’s in choral music education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently the artistic assistant & chorus manager for the Richmond Symphony.

Prior to the Symphony, Janice was the choir manager and concert operations assistant at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, where they had an organizing role in hosting the 2025 Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, oversaw logistics for the dedicatory events of the Juget-Sinclair Opus 55 organ (2024), and managed and performed in the Mozart Requiem in collaboration with the Cathedral's choir and Three Notch'd Baroque (2023). They have also previously served as the administrative coordinator for The Belvedere Series, and at the Wintergreen Music Festival as an Arts Administration Leadership Fellow. Outside of the Symphony, Janice teaches children's voice lessons at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and continues to sing at the Cathedral.

Additional leadership