JAVS Summer 2026

so many of today’s students who are concerned only with themselves and their own careers, these kids are also unusually generous and socially responsible […] We all know Richard as the great violist of the Vermeer Quartet for so many years. But he’s always wanting to give back, always wanting to help these kids succeed. This is where Richard is special. There’s one word that sums him up: serious. Richard is a serious guy, and he won’t let go. He puts 150% into everything he does. Conclusion: The Deal Coming Full Circle If one story sums up Young’s philosophy and lifelong devotion to his students, it’s about a teenager from Colombia named Lina Olmos, who worked with him at The People’s Music School in Chicago right after he joined the Vermeer Quartet. Olmos was exceptionally

bright and highly motivated, though it was clear that being a professional violinist might not be for her. Young recalled telling her: “Beyond our work with the violin, I will teach you how to be excellent. And you will transfer that excellence to whatever you decide to do in your life. And to pay me back, you’ll then pass it on to others.” He emphasized that her eventual contributions did not need to be musical or highly visible. “They don’t have to be high profile. But they must be important.” For Young, the goal of teaching was never merely to produce better musicians. Music provided a framework through which students could learn discipline, responsibility, perseverance, and service. In this sense, he viewed himself as a mentor as much as an instrumental teacher.

Figure 5. Richard Young.

“Professional success is nice,” he said, “but it’s not the real motivation. It’s to strive to make things better for others.”

“She wrote me that she had become a doctor,” Young remembers. “And then she married a doctor. And every Monday they devote the day to providing free medical care in a clinic in the poor part of Bogotá. So every Monday, Lina pays me back.”

In that sense, The Deal is not simply an act of generosity. It’s a philosophy of teaching—one that links musical growth with personal responsibility and encourages each generation of students to become mentors in turn.

Then he smiled.

Olmos eventually returned to Colombia and chose a career in medicine.

“Which makes me,” he said, “an incredibly rich guy.”

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 42, Summer 2026 Online Issue