About the Director
Followinng the 2023 retirement of founding director Dr. Vera Kochanowsky and a season under the interim direction of Dr. Hubert Beckwith and Steven Alan Honley, Carmina and Illuminare are pleased to welcome our new artistic director, Dr. Richard W. Robbins.
Dr. Robbins joins Carmina and Illuminare with extensive musical experience. A longtime teacher and professor of choral music, he is currently director of choral activities and artist-in-residence at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. His work with symphonic organizations includes principal choral preparation for the Houston Symphony, Houston Ballet, and Duluth Superior Symphony, and he has most recently been named the director of the Richmond Symphony Chorus. As an advocate for early music, his doctoral research centered on the liturgy and music of the Italian Counter-Reformation. He has led early-music and chamber ensembles in the first modern performances of multiple lost works and has published on the music of the Italian Baroque.
Reflecting on his appointment, Dr. Robbins stated, “I am deeply honored to be named musical director of Carmina and Illuminare. I am inspired by the legacy of Dr. Kochanowsky, and I hope to continue this group’s tradition of excellence and innovation. I look forward to an exciting first season and to saying hello to our audience members.”
