Neal Richardson

Neal Richardson is a magna cum laude graduate of Belmont University and holds a Master's of Music degree (piano and music theory) from Baylor University with doctoral studies in piano and music theory at University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music. As a musical director at the university level, Neal has enjoyed his work at Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (john & jen, Cabaret, Starting Here, Starting Now and Baby) and at Northern Kentucky University (Little Mary Sunshine, Nunsense, The Fantasticks and others). He is very pleased to teach at Webster University where his credits include The Spitfire Grill, OKLAHOMA!, No, No, Nanette, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Pippin, 42nd Street, Violet,Lucky Stiff, Nine, Ruthless: The Musical, Into the Woods, A New Brain, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Rodgers and Hart: A Celebration. Other teaching opportunities at Webster University include History of American Musical Theatre, Music Appreciation and Music Theory. Neal also teaches voice and musical theatre classes at Stages Performing Arts Academy and the Webster Community Music School.

Neal was the composer & lyricist for four original musicals produced by The Imaginary Theatre Company and the St. Louis Rep–Robin Hood, My Father’s Dragon, The Box Wars and Hansel and Gretel: the Next Generation. As a freelance arranger with Hal Leonard, he is responsible for the vocal selections of Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Brooklyn, Jersey Boys, The Drowsy Chaperone, Grey Gardens, The Color Purple, The Pirate Queen, Young Frankenstein, The Little Mermaid, Passing Strange, and Legally Blonde as well as many other arrangements for solo piano. Neal has written and arranged for The Gateway Men's Chorus, The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Men Alive, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C., The Portland Gay Men's Chorus and others and his choral music is published by Yelton-Rhodes.

Neal serves Samuel United Church of Christ as organist/choir director and is cofounder of Early Music Saint Louis. He is editor-in-chief of Africanus Editions, a publishing house producing monographs of music by African-born composers of the Baroque and Classical eras by African-born composers of the Baroque and Classical eras.