Richard Batelaan is a musician, acoustician, sound engineer, and composer who performs on saxophones, piano, vocals, flute, and clarinet. He began studying saxophone, piano, and voice at a young age, developing a lifelong passion for music through the guidance of inspiring mentors. His early classical training on piano and saxophone built a strong foundation in music theory and harmony. A few years later, he immersed himself in jazz, deepening his ear training and harmonic understanding while discovering meaningful connections between classical and jazz traditions. Fascinated by harmony, Richard became driven to understand why certain music feels catchy, how complexity shapes perception, and what makes sound emotionally compelling.
By high school, Richard committed to pursuing music professionally, while recognizing the importance of building a sustainable path. With parallel interests in science, he double-majored in physics and music at the University of Nebraska. This unique combination led him to acoustics. During his studies, he completed multiple internships in the field: one summer recording bird calls and developing a MATLAB program that identified species through spectrogram image processing, and another summer recording a Falcon 9 rocket launch to calculate sound power based on acoustic directivity.
After earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and music, Richard began working in acoustic consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area. He advised architects and designers on room acoustics, sound isolation for recording studios, mechanical noise control in laboratory buildings, and floor vibration mitigation. At the same time, he became deeply involved in the Bay Area music scene, expanding his stylistic range to include rock, R&B, Motown, country, and salsa.
Two years later, Richard transitioned to full-time music performance and production. He leads the Richie Rebel Band, a four-piece jazz and R&B group performing ’70s and ’80s covers alongside original music. He also performs soprano and tenor saxophones with the Sebastian Parker Quartet; alto and baritone saxophones, flute, piano, and backing vocals with the Suborbitals; and saxophones and piano with the Dirty Works Jazz Band. In addition, he has trained at recording studios in San Francisco, where he develops his skills in recording, mixing, and mastering for music, podcasts, voice-overs, Foley, and ADR. As a freelancer, Richard performs across genres including jazz, rock, salsa, and musical theater, and teaches saxophone, piano, flute, and clarinet in Marin County.
As a composer, Richard explores the intersection of complexity, artistry, and accessibility. His music blends diverse influences into a distinctive voice, aiming to create work that is immediately engaging while revealing deeper layers upon closer listening. He has written for solo piano, jazz combo, jazz orchestra, and symphony orchestra. He is also a singer-songwriter and actively writes music for the Richie Rebel Band.
Outside of music, Richard enjoys the outdoors—paragliding, surfing, climbing, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and kitesurfing—activities that reflect the same balance of discipline, creativity, and freedom that shape his artistic life.
