People often wonder how great talents come to fall in love with their craft. Most assume it鈥檚 generational, raising questions of nature versus nurture. Are we born with our gifts? Or do the people we love instill their own dreams and desires within us?
鈥淚 believe it has to come from somewhere, right?鈥� muses Richard O鈥橬eill, the newest member of the Tak谩cs Quartet.
O鈥橬eill doesn鈥檛 come from a family of musicians. But the love and appreciation for music, at least, is in his blood. Growing up in his grandparents鈥� home in rural Washington, he often had to find ways to occupy himself. From a very young age, O鈥橬eill would spend hours every day making his way through their massive record collection and listening to various LPs.听
Nurture, then. And nature, too.
鈥淢y mom wasn鈥檛 a musician; she was never given the chance. But she could sit down at a piano and play church hymns without anyone showing her how. She had perfect pitch. I think I got my gifts from her.鈥�
The music of his childhood stuck with him. In the years since, O鈥橬eill has built a career teaching and playing the viola internationally. Throughout it all, he confesses, he had his eye on the Tak谩cs Quartet. In fact, he first auditioned for the quartet in 2005, but Geri Walther was destined for the group at that time.
鈥淚 was deeply disappointed,鈥� O鈥橬eill confesses. 鈥淚 took it very hard. I remember getting the call from them, but they said, 鈥楾his is not the right time in your life.鈥欌��
The right time, as it turns out, is now. Last fall, O鈥橬eill flew out to Boulder to audition once again for the group. 鈥淲e dove into Bart贸k, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms. It was like a dream.鈥�
The rest is history, though a curious one. O鈥橬eill was invited to join, as he puts it, one of the greatest string quartets of all time in one of the most beautiful communities in the world. But he officially took up rehearsals in June, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to rehearse, the group had to live very closed lives, hardly going out, except to one another鈥檚 homes. One silver lining? It was the perfect bonding experience.
鈥淚t all worked out really nicely. We were able to just be together to make music and get to know each other. It鈥檚 been a challenge, but Ed, Harumi, and Andr谩s have done everything they can to welcome me with open arms. They鈥檝e been like family.鈥�
The chaotic start has only reiterated that O鈥橬eill is exactly where he was meant to be, where his childhood dreams have always been leading.
鈥淔or a lot of artists this has been a cataclysm鈥攏o concerts, no traveling, no music making. So to be in the quartet at this time, it鈥檚 fortuitous.听
鈥淢aking music is sacred. It is one of our great gifts to be together and to share this sublime music with people. I can鈥檛 imagine anything more wonderful.鈥�
O鈥橬eill鈥檚 passion for music making doesn鈥檛 stop with the stage. He taught viola at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2007 until 2016, and has been on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara since 2014.
鈥淭eaching is incredibly beneficial to both the student and the teacher. Being able to work with many different types of people, and being able to verbalize and come up with solutions that might not be obvious makes you understand what you do on a deeper level.鈥�
Performing and teaching in Boulder also give O鈥橬eill the chance to work with friends both old and new.听
鈥淚鈥檝e known Harumi Rhodes and Charles Wetherbee a long time, and I鈥檝e had the opportunity to play with David Requiro at several festivals and ,鈥� O鈥橬eill explains.听
鈥淓rika Eckert reached out to me when I was in Denver for my recital right before everything shut down and invited me to sit in on one of her studio classes. Unfortunately I couldn鈥檛 attend, but I appreciated that she took the time to connect and to also say how much she was looking forward to working with me. She鈥檚 done so much for the program here at the College of Music, and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it both as a member of the Tak谩cs Quartet and as a teacher.鈥� 听
While campus remains closed to audiences, this fall the Tak谩cs Quartet will livestream their Grusin Hall series concerts to subscribers in the comfort and safety of their own homes.
