Richard Bjella, professor of music, is Director of Choral Studies at Lawrence University, Conservatory of Music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Under his direction are the Concert Choir, Viking Chorale, and in the past the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Collegium, Chamber Singers and the Choral Society at Lawrence. All of the ensembles have sung at state, regional, and national conventions in the last fifteen years.

Mr. Bjella has conducted outside the United States in Prague, Paris, Lucerne, Vilnius, and London and has guest conducted over 350 festivals and workshops in twenty-five states including recent appearances as the Wisconsin, Delaware, Illinois, and Missouri All-State choral conductor. Rick made his Alice Tully Hall premiere in New York in 2003, and appeared in workshops and festivals for students, church and community choir directors, conductors, and teachers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and California in 2004. He was invited as the only American conductor and lecturer for the Korean National Choral Directors Convention in Seoul, Korea in 2005, and at various festivals and workshops for teachers and students in Illinois, Minnesota, and California. The Lawrence Concert Choir was honored to be a part of the 2006 NC ACDA Convention and as a result of that performance, Mr. Bjella was invited to conduct the professional choir, Polifonija on a four-city tour in Lithuania. Other guest conducting this year includes performances in Michigan, Oklahoma, Minneosta, Illinois, and Wisconsin. In 2007 he will be conducting seminars at the Retreat for the Illinois Chapter of ACDA, a headliner on Immersion day for the Regional ACDA convention in 2008, and conducting the Iowa All-State Choir.

Mr Bjella has served as President of the Wisconsin Choral Directors' Association, has been a part of the CMP leadership team for the Wisconsin Music Educators Associaton, and various state and regional leadership positions with ACDA and WMEA. He is listed in the World Concert Artist Directory of Conductors and was most recently awarded the 2006 Hanns Kretzchmar Award for Excellence in the Arts and the 2007 Lawrence Excellence in Teaching Award.