Our dear patron, Fran will be 90 year young Wednesday, July 1st! We will have a virtual musicale from 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, July 1st to celebrate her birthday together and ask her to share her fabulous career as an opera singer and more of her life!
Please sign up at the virtual musicale sign up sheet at Members Only page.
Here is her bio which was used for the concert two years ago performed by her former students who were famous opera singers now.
We come together to celebrate the extraordinary artistic career of soprano Francesca
Richards; one that has touched generations of singers and audiences. After dedicating
many years to performing the standard operatic repertoire, ultimately Fran found her
true calling in teaching, and has been doing so joy
fully for 38 years and counting.
Without question, her favorite role was Puccini’s ill-fated heroine, Floria Tosca. It also Russell, Klark, Christopher and Nicholas.
gave her great pleasure to sink her teeth into the dramatic demands of Mascagni’s
Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana. But it was singing Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème that
introduced her to her husband, baritone Paul Richards, sparking years of performing
and concertizing together. Those of us who were lucky enough to know him remember
his booming baritone and his wonderful rendition of They Call The Wind Maria. Fran
and Paul raised two children, Irene and Tony, both incredible artists in their own right,
and later were delighted to welcome the other loves of their life, their granchildren:
In 1980, Fran opened her private studio in Manhattan. Three years later she was
invited to join the faculty of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where she
served as a vocal instructor until 1995. Later that year, she and Paul relocated to the
Atlanta area. Within just a few years, her new private studio was humming along, and
thus began her second chapter of teaching that would impact an entire generation of
young singers in the Atlanta area. Francesca’s students lit up the music and theatre
departments of Centennial High School, Chattahoochee High School, Milton High
School,St.PiusX,andtheMaristSchool,tonameafew. Anactivememberofthe North Fulton
Music Teachers Association, Fran has long been an adjudicator on several competitions
supporting the advancement of young singers throughout the state. Her culture and
grace have also placed her at the heart of the Rivermont Women's Club, where she
served as President for four years. She continues to give back to the place she has called
home for over two decades, acting as a sponsor for the Georgia Musicale Group, a non-
profit organization producing concerts and providing masterclasses and workshops to
the greater Atlanta area for musicians of all ages.
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