With the 2018-2019 school year drawing to a close, the common expectation is that students are are getting very excited to leave for summer, but unlike past years, this year’s parting is bittersweet. For at the end of this school year, Choirmaster Richard Carrillo will be resigning after seven years of teaching at Providence Academy.
Carrillo has accepted a graduate assistantship at Missouri State University. “At Missouri State, I will be able to work towards my Master’s while teaching and conducting the students there,” said Carrillo. He added “I will definitely bring everything I have learned at Providence to this next job. Building the choir program up has given me a lot of experience and helped me grow into a better conductor and teacher.”
When students found about Carrillo’s resignation, many had the same reaction as Emma Ellings ‘21 “I was sad! He has been here for a really long time and is such a nice person. Whoever takes over for him will have a hard time filling his shoes.”
Isabella Igbanugo ‘19, Choir student and actress in the upcoming school musical, agreed with Ellings. She described it as“Sad, but it’s different for me because I am also leaving this year. It just feels like an end to an era. I still remember the fun junior year trip to Chicago with him, that was one of my favorite memories.”
Carrillo’s decision wasn’t an easy one, he reflected, “I will miss this lovely community a lot and all of the students, staff and parents that I have built such strong relationships with.” He continued on to say, “Providence has given me the opportunity to combine my love of music with my Catholic faith. In this world, you usually have to choose one over the other, but here I was able to grow greater in both and merge my loves into one.”
With Carrillo leaving at the end of this school year students across the high school have already booked tickets in advance through the PA website for his final and upcoming musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There are even more opportunities to attend this musical, because for the first time in Providence history, there will be four showings of the musical: May 3rd at 7:00 p.m, May 4th at 2:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m and May 5th at 2:00 p.m. Please make sure to save this date in your calendar to watch the performance and wish him well in his future endeavors.
