Richard Celestina, originally from Cleveland, OH, holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. He studied as a baritone with soprano, Tamara Regensburger and mezzo-soprano, Katherine Rohrer. During his time at Ohio State, he performed with the OSU Chorale, the OSU Men’s Glee Club, and was involved in Ohio State’s School of Music Opera Scenes. Outside of The Ohio State University, Richard is the Assistant Director of Music, a cantor, and the bass section leader at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Columbus, OH, where he also served as the Interim Choir Director in 2015. Additionally, Richard serves as the bass section leader for the Temple Israel Choir in Bexley, OH, and consistently subs at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Columbus. Richard has also been a member of the Lancaster Chorale since 2016 and has sung in works including Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noel and Mozart’s Requiem (collaborative works with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra). Expanding his involvement in the music world, Richard worked as an Assistant Stage Manager for Opera Columbus on Verdi’s La Traviata during the 2015-2016 season and as the Stage Manager for Opera Columbus’ Opera on the Edge performances of Puccini’s La Boheme during the 2016-2017 season.
Richard is the co-conductor and co-founder of the group ‘Mi Smo Mi’, a semi-professional Slovenian male singing group that has travelled across the United States and Slovenia. ‘Mi Smo Mi’ consistently sings for Slovenian functions throughout the Slovenian community in Cleveland, stemming from formal functions at City Hall to private performances. Richard is heavily involved with his Slovenian heritage, singing with the Slovenian Group Korotan and with the St. Vitus Christmas Choir.
In the fall of 2016, Richard began coursework and research toward a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University, focusing on heat transfer and fluid dynamics for turbomachinery applications. He was instrumental in redesigning a new generation of heat flux gauges at OSU’s Gas Turbine Lab which are currently being installed in a new rotating turbine rig at the GTL’s Turbine Testing Facility. Richard is also a partner in the Student Assessment Network Guide project (SANG), a collaboration between Katherine Rohrer, the department of Computer Science Engineering, and the department of Statistics. The project seeks to create a web application designed to be a learning tool for both students and teachers of vocal music.
