Aaron Richert

Aaron Richert is 17 years old, and a senior at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana. Aaron started doing theatre in an effort to be more like his older brother, Michael, but ended up falling head over heels the instant he step foot on stage. He has been performing since 5 and started playing instruments at 7. His first instrument was a violin, before he began piano, and along the way taught himself guitar, ukulele, bass, cajon, and accordion (but cannot for the life of him remember how to play violin). He has always lived for music, always playing or listening as much as he could, and finding every opportunity around New Orleans to express that side of himself, whether that be singing and playing at churches or singing with his teenage barbershop quartet (“The Ragamuffins”).Aaron has always been a performer first and everything else second, and while he loves writing music, he had never considered himself a composer. His first venture into it was as a form of catharsis before anything else, writing songs about all of his friends and how he felt about them at the time, which turned into a never released song cycle titled “Frequent Visitors: Or How to Lose Your Friends.” After the song cycle, and a few ventures into barbershop arrangements, he decided to try the next reasonable step and attempt music direction. After being the Assistant Music Director/Rehearsal Accompanist on a local production of “Xanadu,” he knew that he had found a new passion (in addition to performing, of course). He will be pursuing his new love of Music Direction over the summer before pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre. He hopes to continue his newfound passion for composition and arranging throughout college and afterwards. He would like to thank William Finn, Stephen Sondheim, and Ben Folds for constantly inspiring him, and his brothers, mentors, and friends for supporting him in his effort to channel that inspiration. And of course, he would like to thank his mother for putting up with his endless need to make the most noise on as many instruments as possible through every hour of the night, as well as everything else she has done (and she has done so much). Thank you so much!