Richard O. Burdick
(B. April 27, 1961)
a Canadian / American composer and French hornist.

1) Life

Richard Oscar Burdick was born in Berkeley California in 1961. His father Rev. Oscar Burdick worked as a librarian for Pacific School of Religion and still plays organ for Arlington Community Church, the Seventh Day Baptist Church and Pacific School of Religion.

Richard grew up in El Cerrito California, attending El Cerrito High School from 1975 to 1978. He rose to the rank of of "Life" in the BOy Scouts but never received approval for his Eagle project.

He was then a composition major at California State University @ Hayward from 1978-1981, where he studied with Robert Basart and Glen Glasow.

In the 1970's He played horn for three youth orchestra in the S. F. Bay Area; Berkeley Youth Orchestra, where he played the Telemann Horn concerto in 1977. Young Peoples Symphony Orchestra, where he played Richard Strauss' first horn concerto in 1982, and Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also play in a Wind Quintet with noted Jazz Bassoonist Paul Hanson.

From 1981 to 1984 He presented over 20 concerts creating the “Circle Concerts” concert series. A number of his early compositions premiered on that series including Richards First Chamber Symphony. He also presented a few other groups such as a harpsichord recital by Jean Nandi (the daughter of Alan Hovhaness), a Celtic music ensemble and The Kings Trumpets and Shawms. A free publication: “Circle Magazine” with music writings and art, was given out at those concerts.

Mr. Burdick Managed Trinity Chamber Concerts a chamber music series in Berkeley, from 1984-2003 producing over 300 concerts during his tenure. At least 30 of his compositions premiered on the Trinity Chamber Concert series.

He worked full-time as fourth Horn of Sacramento Symphony from 1990-1996 for whom he wrote a few arrangements. He was friend with timpanist Stan Lunetta who was theAssociate Editor of the magazine "Source music of the Avant Garde."

In 1996 & 7 he again established the non-profit corporation “Circle Concerts” where he helped to present almost 70 concerts in communities around Northern California. Under this series he performed solo concerts in Chico, Davis, Napa, Sacramento, and more.

He has been principal horn of Regina Symphony in Regina, Saskatchewan since 2003.

Richard Burdick wrote a number of compositions in the 1970's in an experimental graphic form greatly influenced by the Dutch composer Ton Brynel. Starting in the early 1980's Richard has been working on compositions mostly based on the 64 scales inspired by the the I Ching which he has developed. Like the scales of Northern India, the trigrams (each of three lines suggesting half and wholes steps) are separated by a perfect fifth. His first version of these scales did not have the separation of the fifth. The third (and current) version of his scales keeps the fifth separation, but is overlaid upon the harmonic series, so each scale has its own key based on the harmonics from 64 to 128. These current scales could be categorized as “microtonal” but in reality they are equal-non-tempered scales.

2) Noted performances

As a horn soloist Richard has performed concerti with:
Berkeley Youth Orchestra, Young Peoples Symphony Orchestra, Kensington Symphony , Oakland Philharmonic, Oakland Municipal Band, American River College Band, Bay Area Concerto Collective. Orchestra De Caccia in San Francisco, Regina Symphony Orchestra & the Cosbey Friends Orchestra.

Recitals for:
Cal State University in Hayward, Circle Concerts, City of Berkeley California, City of Davis California, Coffee Mill in Oakland, Conservatory of Music Regina, Covell Gardens In Davis, Davis Arts Center, First Christian Church in Oakland, First Unitarian Church of Berkeley, Martinez Music Forum, Ohlone College in Hayward, Old First Concert San Francisco , Palo Alto Performances , Pence Gallery in Davis, Rossmore California, Quincy California, San Francisco State University, Shared Visions, St. Marys Cathedral San Francisco. Trinity Chamber Concerts , Unitarian Church of Davis, University of Regina Faculty Concert(s), Westlake Christian Terrace in Oakland and more.

3) Premieres participated in:

Premiered (in Concert or premiere recording) horn solo or chamber music by: , Elaine L. Bearer, Aaron Blumenfeld, L. F. Dauprat, Ken Durling, Victor Herbert, Jon Ward, John Webber, and others.
Orchestral works by: Laurie Anderson, Harold Farberman, Jon Ward and many others.
Operas: Fanny Robin by Edward Harper (U. S. premiere)
Emperor Norton by Jerome Rosen (Premiere)
The Bride stripped bare by her bachelors - Charles Shearer (Premiere)
Orchestral premieres: Oly Wilson, Harold Farberman

4) Noted performers with who he has worked:

Joshua Bell,  Moody Blues,   Smothers Brothers,   Dave Brubeck, Canadian Brass,   Ray Charles,   Stephanie Chase, Béla Fleck (banjo), Kenny G, Eartha Kitt, Sherry Lewis & Lamb Chop, Edgar Meyer (bass),Luciano Pavarotti,

Significant Conductors:   John Adams, JoAnn Falletta, Morton Gould, Bobby Mcpherin, Kent Nagano, David Ogden Stiers, Gregory Vajda & many others.

As well as working with Paul Dresher Ensemble, Oboist Blair Tindall, and many others.

5) Works

See: Compositions by Richard O. Burdick
in chronological order or in  alphabetic order

6) Recordings

CD69 Artot & Stitch
CD68 Handsome horn solos v.1
CD67 - Glacier Suites etc.
CD66 - A Lake of Violet Flames Op. 310
CD65 - More natural horn music
CD64 - 64 horn solos (icsV5), Op. 293
CD63 - 64 horn duets (icsV5), Op. 292
CD62 - The Mindset Nonet, Op. 242
CD61 - Vortex Breathing & I Ching Chants, Op. 244
CD60 - Wilder Graas Presser
CD59 - A Walk with Giants & Motor 1 2 4 8 7 5
CD58 - Music We Publish
CD57 - Piano works: Wave, Relentless & more   
CD56 - Particles
CD55 - Duets
CD54 - The 270's
CD53 - Burdick & Harbison Quartets
CD52- Found These Too  
CD51- Microtonal I Ching Cycles   
CD50 - I Ching Elements
CD49 - Brass Music, Op. 9, 10, 45, 268, 269 &150b
CD48 - Giovanni Gastoldi
CD47 - I Ching Rhythms, Op. 209
CD46 - A Rainbow of I Ching triads
CD45 - North American Horn Music
CD44 - Opening the Sphinx
CD43 - Horn Music of Silvio Coscia
CD42 - I Sound My Horn
CD41 - American Horn Music vol. 2
CD40 - Retrospective II
CD39 - Bach by Popular Demand
CD38 - Matthew Locke: Broken and Flatte Consorts
CD37 - Microtonal music of Richard Burdick (Op. 202 & 204)
CD36 - Classical Natural Horn Music By Duvernoy & Schneider
CD35 - Twenty-Two Trios for Horns, Op. 156
CD34 - Natural Horn Music FOUND
CD33 - More than 64 Quartets for horns based on the I Ching
CD32 - American Horn Music of the 40's & 50's
CD31 - Grand Music of J. F. Gallay, volume 2
CD30 - Grand Music of J. F. Gallay, volume 1
CD29 - Astral Waves & Phosphor
CD28 - WAVES AND PARTICLES, opus 159 PART ONE - Waves
CD27a - Richard O. Burdick - Castelnuovo-Tedesco's horn quartet
CD27 - Anton Reicha Trios Op. 82 & 93 complete
CD26 - Accuracy Studies for the French horn student
CD25a - Bach Cantata BWV 132 No. 1
CD25 - Nice Notes
CD24 - Duets, opus 132 complete in the "one take" version
CD23 - More than 64 solos for Horn, Op. 139
CD22 – Naderman’s Music for Horn and Harp
CD21 - Beyond Favorites
CD20 - Classical Gas
CD19a - Dauprat's trios opus 26
CD19 -  Dauprat's Grand Music for horns
CD18 - Louis-Francois Dauprat Duos for Horns, Opus 13 vol. 2
CD17 - Favorites - Barber, Grieg, Bach BWV 82 & 225
CD16 - Howlers Revised 2006 Dauprat Duets, Op. 14 & Mozart
CD15 - Richard Burdick, - J. S. Bach's Easter Oratorio, BWV 249
CD14 - Richard Burdick, Performs Dauprat’s Op. 8
CD13 - 64 Duets, Op. 132 part two #17-34
CD12 - Reveré by Victor Herbert
CD11 - 64 Duets, Op. 132 part one #1-16
CD10 - The Planets for solo horn, opus 19
CD 9 - Louis-Francois Dauprat Duos for Horns, Op. 13 vol. 1
CD 8 - Portal Solo Multi-phonic French horn In An Environment of drones & overtones.
CD 7 - INFINITY ONE
CD 6 - "Richard Burdick with tape"
CD 5 - "Let Me Out
CD 4 - 4.5 INCH SINGLE Aaron Blumenfeld’s Sonata Horn  & Piano
CD 3  - H o w l e r s - Louis-François Dauprat’s 20 Duos for Natural 
CD 2 - I Ching Arpeggios, Op. 99
CD 1 - Rebel with a Horn

Also Mr Burdick Can be heard on:

S. F. Gay Men's Chorus Brahms Bernstein and the Boy's Cd:

Sacramento Symphony

Chico Symphony Orchestra Beethoven 7th Symphony

Richard Burdick is not related to the author Eugene Burdick

Richard is not closely related to the Hollywood Studio horn player and arranger Huntington Burdick

Richard Burdick contends that he is a descendant of Benjamin Burdick who was a witnesses in the Boston Massacre trial in 1770

Declaration of Religion and Patriotism