James A. “Jim” Richmond

James A. (Jim) Richmond was born in 1953 in Fairmont, West Virginia, to Herschel and Muriel Richmond. His family moved to the St. Louis area when his father took the pastorship at Disciples of Christ Church in Florissant. He was preceded in death by both parents.

Prior to attending and graduating from McClure Public Schools, Jim was playing piano “by ear” at his mother’s side. In school he was started on the trombone until an accidental injury caused him to lose his embouchure. Unable to play brass instruments, he switched to strings. Because of his height, he naturally took to the double bass, which led him to his musical career as follows:

Jim received his Bachelor of Music Performance in String Bass in 1976 and his Master of Music Performance-Conducting and Bass- from Southern Illinois University in 1986. Jim’s directing experience included Edwardsville Community Unified School District, where he received the Excellence in Education Award and the Edwardsville Jaycees Outstanding Young Educator Award. Some of his professional achievements included receiving Division I ratings with both full and string orchestras at Regional and State contests and conducting orchestras for musical productions.Jim received highest honors: Medal of Honor for Musicians at the prestigious Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, garnering an invitation to play at Carnegie Hall with his orchestra. Instead, he took his orchestra to Vienna, Austria to compete at the international level. His orchestra won and he was awarded the coveted Prize of Vienna (created just for him) at the age of 33.

He performed with Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Kirkwood, Missouri SymphonyOrchestra, St. Louis Festival Orchestra, as well as many other orchestras, soloing or as Principal Bass. Jim was a member of the Illinois and Kansas Music Educators Association, the National School Orchestra Association, the American Federation of Musicians, and served as Chairman and Vice President of Orchestra Activities for Illinois Division VI High School Orchesfra, 1984, 1988, 1989-1997.

Jim’s illustrious career-what he called his Camelot- ended in 1997 with the onset of an inherited disorder of morbid clinical depression and was under doctors’ care continuously until his death. Prior to late 2004, he had recorded his playing individual parts of a composition on various instruments: double bass, cello, trombone, trumpet, euphonium, piano and other instruments to be “mixed” by himselftör a finished product. He had the sound equipment to do so. However, a grand-mal seizure in late November 2004 stopped the project altogether and the playing of his beloved music forever. He died at his home in Columbia, Missouri on July 13, 2015, of a sudden onset of a fatal heart arrhythmia. He may have stopped playing, but he never stopped listening to music. That may be his legacy to all of us who have survived him and his musical genius.