Concert Artist, Recording Artist, Orchestral Artist, Chamber Music Artist, Jazz Artist, Studio Artist, Composer, Arranger, Master Teacher, Published Author – Professor Richard Todd’s career can best be described as unparalleled. He has been soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, among his many appearances A graduate of USC as a student of Waldemar Linder and the legendary Vincent DeRosa, Professor Todd was also a student at the Music Academy of The West and at Tanglewood, where he met the great Gunther Schuller, who was later to become his mentor and record producer.

Todd's professional career began at age 21 as a member of the Utah Symphony. At age 22 he became principal horn of the New Orleans Symphony, and at age 24 he won the Medaille d’Or at the Toulon International Competition. Todd then moved back to Los Angeles and began working in the famous LA film studios. 

Richard Todd has experienced and excelled at every form of music in which he has attempted. He served as Principal Horn of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for 35 years, was a performer in many of the world’s premier chamber music festivals, and has had dozens of solo appearances with orchestras both in the United States and abroad – including world premieres of Kenneth Fuchs’ Canticle To The Sun and Craig Russell’s Rhapsody For Horn And Orchestra. He was also hand picked by Gunther Schuller to record his Horn Concerto No. 1 in 1992, and the Brahms Horn Trio, which was Schuller's final recording before his death in 2015.

 As a jazz artist, Todd's education came from lessons with Ellis Marsalis and listening to every great artist available. He has performed with Clark Terry, Lalo Schifrin, McCoy Tyner, Andre Previn, Terrence Blanchard, Billy Childs, Ray Brown, John Clayton, Shelly Berg, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Tom Scott, Billy Pierce, Arturo Sandoval, Ronnie Scott, Marian McPartland and dozens of others in jazz clubs, concert halls, and jazz festivals.

Todd's studio career has spanned over 35 years and included over 2,000 film and television scores. He has been given screen credit on blockbusters such as Star Trek Into Darkness and Tomorrowland. He was twice commissioned by the LA Chamber Orchestra to compose works for the ensemble, and became the first sitting member of the orchestra to have a composition performed. The work, “ceLebrACiOn”, was premiered on the opening concert of the orchestra’s 40th anniversary season.

Todd has served on faculties as varied as Cal Arts, UCLA, USC, and the University of Indiana Jacobs School of Music. More recently, Professor Todd joined the Frost School in 2009 and has grown his studio consistently since his arrival. He has dozens of former students enjoying careers as orchestra performers, freelance artists, studio musicians, artistic administrators, and instructors at major institutions such as UCLA and USC. Professor Todd is a Buffet Artist for Hans Hoyer Horns and is developing his own line of signature mouthpieces with the Osmun Music company.

Collaborations with Pop Stars

• Aerosmith

• Blink-182

• Andrea Bocelli

• Michael Buble

• Ray Charles

• Chicago

• Sean "Diddy" Combs

• Celine Dion

• The Eagles

• Peter Gabriel

• Josh Groban

• Whitney Houston

• Michael Jackson

• Elton John

• Ray LaMontagne

Collaborations with Jazz Stars

• Terence Blanchard

• Billy Childs

• Shirley Horn

• Diana Krall

• McCoy Turner

Collaborations with Composers/Classical Musicians

• Andre Previn

• Mstislav Rostropovich

• Lalo Schifrin

• Gunther Schuller

• John Williams

• Ute Lemper

• Jeff Lynne

• Madonna

• Manhattan Transfer

• Paul McCartney

• Willie Nelson

• Stevie Nicks

• Red Hot Chili Peppers

• Kenny Rogers

• Nina Simone

• Frank Sinatra

• Barbara Streisand

• James Taylor

• Kanye West