“One of my greatest passions is to empower my students to develop their artistic and creative capacities, enable them to be a part of a musical community and provide opportunities where they will experience the power and value of music.” –Mr. Hutton

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Degrees and Certifications:

Master of Music in Choral Conducting Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Music, Minor in Bioethics Secondary Education (New Jersey) Special Music License (Nevada)

Mr. Richard (Ricky) Hutton

Mr. Hutton has been Choral Director at Spanish Springs High School since 2017. He is also the Fine Arts Department Chair. He has resided in Reno, NV for eight years teaching various levels of music at Sage Ridge School and Hug High School. He is the director of the Carson Chamber Singers, has served as an interim director for the Reno Philharmonic Chorus and was also the artistic director of the Reno Baroque Ensemble. He currently serves as Nevada ACDA Repertoire and Resources Chair (High School SATB) and has served as the Nevada Music Educators Association's Washoe Zone Representative. 

Richard is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting at the University of Nevada Reno. He holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting degree, with distinction, from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. His primary teachers there were Dr. Joe Miller, Dr. James Jordan, and Dr. Andrew Megill, three of America's most sought-after choral conductors. During his second year of graduate studies, Richard was a graduate assistant conductor for Westminster Schola Cantorum, the choir of the sophomore class, and was an assistant conductor for the Westminster Community Chorus and Chamber Choir. He has sung tenor or countertenor in such renowned ensembles as the Westminster Choir, Westminster Kantorei, Westminster Symphonic Choir, Westminster Williamson Voices, and Westminster Chamber Choir. Richard was North Shore Choral Society's Apprentice Conductor, worked with the choral ensembles of Evanston Township High School and Maine West High School, was an adjunct music faculty member at Princeton Day School, and a semifinalist in the National ACDA Conducting Competition.

Prior to completing his graduate degree, he received his Bachelor of Arts in both Music and Philosophy with a minor in Bioethics, magna cum laude from Loyola University, Chicago, where he studied voice and conducting with Dr. Julia Davids. In past summers, he sang with the Westminster Choir at Spoleto Festival U.S.A., the Westminster Chamber Choir and Festival Chorus, and conducted and sang in the Norfolk Chamber Choir of Yale University.

He enjoys directing musicals at his schools including Legally Blonde, Spamalot, School House Rock Live!, Footloose, Beauty and the Beast, and The Wizard of Oz. He and his wife Ashton and daughters Pearl and Evelyn love the Reno-Tahoe area. He is also a lay pastor at Living Stones Church Reno.