Performance Riverside remembers Dick Stover

Our dear friend Richard Stover, co-founder of Performance Riverside, passed away on Friday, May 8 after a battle with cancer.  Dick was a musician,  conductor, composer and pillar of strength for Performance Riverside.  More than that, Mr. Stover was our heartbeat. His rhythm, tempo, and love for our audiences, artists, staff , and of life itself infused everything he did.  Although he had retired from his full time duties at RCC in 1990, he was never idle, always creating and planning for the future.  He was a visionary who lived to see his visions made real.

He performed with hundreds of stars, from Mel Torme to Bob Hope.  He wrote, composed, played, and conducted more than one hundred and fifty Broadway and family musicals.  He produced and conducted the Big Band All Stars and the OnStage Cabaret Orchestra with guest stars at the Landis Performing Arts Center, as well as the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, and the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs. In addition, he was the owner of Onstage Musicals, which produces and leases original musicals for adults and young people.

Mr. Stover served as a music department faculty member, dean, and vice president of Academic Services during this 33 year career at RCC. On June 3, 2002, RCC dedicated the Richard M. Stover Music Hall on the Riverside City Campus in recognition of his many contributions to the performing arts community, and in January of 2009 he generously donated the seed money for a Performance Riverside endowment.

Dick was as a man who pursued his passion and joy, and made it real.  He brought pleasure to audiences  virtually till the end of his days….his last performance was on May 3, 2009.  The joy on his face when he was behind a baton was inspiring, energizing, and unforgettable. To quote from one of the musicals he adapted, he “really had a wonderful life.”