Richard Ortiz lives in the Chicago-land area working as a composer, guitarist, and music engraver.  Though he writes mainly for acoustic instruments, Richard draws inspiration for his compositions from different influences including electronica, jazz, metal, punk, and classical music.  In his compositions, he tries to combine the energy and the best of those different styles into a new and intriguing whole.  Richard’s commissioned and non-commissioned work alike receives praise for sounding fresh and interesting.
	Richard's first instrument was the piano at the tender age of 12, but that gave way to the electric guitar by the time he was 15.  Richard of course learned all the standard rock repertoire, but switched to the classical guitar in his early twenties.  Up to that point Richard had no formal training in music and was largely self-taught.  When he turned 25, he decided to prepare for music school.   Richard auditioned for, was accepted into and offered a scholarship to attend the Music Department at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana as a classical guitar performance major .  Within a year he switched to composition to pursue his passion for composing.  While at VU, Richard's main composition teacher was Dr. Dennis Friesen-Carper, but also studied with   Dr. Philip Ghering.  Richard has also attended master classes with Minneapolis composer Randall Davidson and Chicago composer Frank Ferko.   After earning his Bachelor of Music degree in composition from Valparaiso University, Richard went on to earn a Master's Degree at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.  Richard studied composition at CCPA with Dr. Stacy Garrop, but also studied with Hungarian composer Dr. Gyula Fekete.  Richard was able to have master classes with Chicago composers Jan Bach and Frank Ferko yet again.  Richard finished his master's work in 2006 and was given honors for his master's thesis, a programmatic orchestral work titled Narrow Daylight.   Richard also performs and teaches classical and jazz guitar in a variety of venues.  At VU, Richard played in the school’s jazz big band and several small combos as well as performing in classical guitar ensembles and along with his professors and colleagues in recitals.  Richard’s classical guitar teachers include Michael Adamczyk, James Konsbruck, and Pamela Kimmel, head of the classical guitar department at the Chicago College of Performing Arts.  His jazz guitar teachers include Mario Moreno, Jason Golday, and Bill Boris.   Richard currently lives in Valparaiso, IN with his wife and two sons.