Richard Danley

Vocal & Musical Theater Director at SunnyBird Music & Renowned Music Director & Performer

Richard Danley has served as Music Director at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City for 25 years, where he also worked as a Vocal Coach, Accompanist, and Audition Panelist. AMDA is one of the most prestigious performing arts colleges in the U.S., boasting over 30% of its alumni currently working on Broadway. Throughout his tenure at AMDA since 1993, he’s trained countless students for Broadway auditions, LaGuardia High School, and ABRSM examinations.

As a versatile artist, Richard is an accomplished pianist, vocalist, composer, arranger, and conductor with extensive performance experience on Broadway and internationally. His performances include twice at Carnegie Hall with actress Kim Zimmer, appearances at the Cotton Club, Friars Club, and Jolson International Festival, as well as entertainment on five cruise ships, including the Rotterdam World Cruise. He has also performed in musical theater workshops across Taiwan, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Richard has collaborated with Broadway icons such as Lea Salonga (Tony Award winner) and Audra McDonald (6-time Tony Award winner), and has directed music for cabarets, concerts, and revues across the U.S. His roles include Music Director and Arranger for Gerard Alessandrini’s Tonight We Sing, Madame X, The Nutcracker and I, Moon Over Parador, and the off-Broadway hit Spamilton. He also directed the off-Broadway production of Chip Deffaa’s One Night with Fanny Brice and George M. Cohan Tonight in Seoul, Korea.

Since 2013, Richard has conducted masterclasses in Taiwan and China, where top-tier musical directors such as Jiang Qinghua, Zhang Yuzhu, and Yan Jiaping have studied with him. Currently, he serves as the Vocal & Musical Theater Director at SunnyBird Music, where he teaches voice and piano, preparing students for ABRSM exams and prestigious auditions.

In addition to his teaching and directing work, Richard has been featured in numerous performances at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium and has directed music for various productions and events both in the U.S. and abroad, demonstrating his distinguished career as an artist and educator.