Born and raised in Western Canada, Richard Williams first distinguished himself as a singer in 1981 by winning First Place in the Alberta Provincial Music Festival. This led to a Second Place at the National Festival in Toronto. Richard then went on to perform with various choirs and orchestras throughout Western Canada, including the Vancouver Bach Choir and Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble. Richard made his professional debut in Europe in 1992.  His performances in Europe took him to many of the world's great music centers including Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Milan and Paris. 

While in Europe, Richard continued his teaching career, with important appointments such as: Head of Vocal Studies at the International School of Geneva, Chef de Chant for the National Youth Choir of Switzerland, Chef du Choeur for Opera Studio de Genève. 

In 2007, Richard and a group of friends founded Opera Pro Cantanti (Opera for the Singers).  The company's first full production was Verdi's Rigoletto.  Since then, Opera Pro Cantanti has given over 200 performances of 12 operas.  OPC performs these operas in a rotating schedule that sees the company take the stage once or twice each month. 

Richard performs regularly with Opera Pro Cantanti.  His roles include leading roles in 5 Verdi operas: Macbeth, Rigoletto, Nabucco, La Traviata and Un Ballo in Maschera. He also sings lead roles in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Bellini's I Puritani, I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Norma. When he is not performing a role, Richard enjoys singing comprimario and supporting roles, as well as performing as a member of the OPC chorus. 

Richard has an active teaching studio in Vancouver. Many of the singers in OPC are students of his. Read comments from Richard's singing students here.