Richard Holmes was Principal Timpani of the St. Louis Symphony since 1969. He was a masterful presence at his corner of the stage for over 40 years. From that corner, he was always at the very center.
Richard Holmes previously held the position of Music Director and Conductor of the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Richard Holmes entered the Eastman School of Music in 1960, with a vocal scholarship, and subsequently pursued the study of piano and percussion at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He went on to the Juilliard School of Music where he studied percussion and conducting.
While at Juilliard, he played with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as a regular extra.
Richard Holmes' teachers have included Jean Morel, Jorge Mester, Walter Susskind, Alfred Wallenstein, William Kraft, Saul Goodman, Morris Goldenberg, Elden Bailey, and Charles William Johnson.
In 1962, Richard Holmes made his professional debut as a member of the percussion section of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since then, he has performed at Radio City Music Hall and with the Aspen Festival Orchestra in Colorado, where he also served on the percussion and conducting faculty.
Richard Holmes was Music Director and Conductor of the New York Youth Symphony from 1968-69. He taught timpani at the former Saint Louis Conservatory of Music, and has conducted St. Louis Symphony educational concerts. Since 1999, Mr. Holmes has served as the conductor of the Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra at the Webster University Community Music School.
Backstage before a rehearsal, Richard Holmes usually sat, quiet and calm, mallets in his hands, playing a swift air-timpani while he waited for his time on stage. And he told stories from his incredible career. Richard Holmes played in the pit when a young songstress named Streisand became a star on Broadway in Funny Girl. He played as the Rockettes high-kicked at Radio City Music Hall. He remembered Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma as youngsters at Juilliard: "Manny was a very naughty boy," Richard Holmes chuckled.
John Kasica
