Baritone Richard Riddell is a graduate of Anacortes High School and Skagit Valley College . Richard studied theater arts at Washington State University with advanced study in New York City at the National Shakespeare Conservatory.  Upon graduation, Richard received scholarship to study opera at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford .

After graduation, Richard went on to a successful professional career singing roles with such theatres as: Connecticut Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Pacific, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Bronx Opera, and Opernhaus Zürich.  Richard has sung concerts with the Zürcher Tonhalle-Orchester, Südwest Deutches Orchester, The Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and others.  Richard has performed under the batons of many celebrated conductors including Franz Welser-Möst, Nello Santi, Ralf Weikert, and John Malceri.

Richard is a member of the Skagit Opera Board of Directors. He makes his home in Anacortes with his wife Johanna of six years and two precocious bi-lingual children.