Richard has garnered international recognition for his extensive catalogue of vocal and instrumental compositions. Writing for the 2011 Tanglewood Music Festival, Frank J. Oteri describes Festinger’s music as “notable for its combination of propulsive energy with an impeccable sense of poise and balance,” and WQXR Radio in New York has dubbed him “an American master.” Festinger is professor of composition at San Francisco State University where he is also Artistic Director of the Morrison Artists Series. He received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in composition from the University of California, Berkeley, and in the mid 1980s co-founded the acclaimed San Francisco based modern music ensemble Earplay. Festinger’s music is published by C.F. Peters Corporation and Wildcat Canyon Music Press, and his works have been recorded for the Naxos, Bridge, CRI, Centaur, and CRS labels. The recipient of numerous major awards and commissions, he has been honored with both the Walter Hinrichsen Award and an Academy Recording Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In the late 1960s Richard toured as a guitarist with Joan Baez and appeared on-stage with her at Woodstock in 1969.