Rich has been playing the guitar since age seven. He attended Harford Community College and studied with Dr. James Hontz, Brian Kooken, Benny Russell, and Dr. Keith Kramer. He then attended Temple University and earned his bachelor degree in classical guitar performance studying with Allen Krantz. After graduating, Rich applied to Northern Illinois University and was accepted with a full tuition waiver. There, he studied with the world renowned guitarist Fareed Haque to earn his master degree in classical guitar performance. Rich performed in guitar ensembles, voice recitals, and a new music debut of Derrick Spiva's "Forming Idioms, Mental Objects" in Penelope Turgeon's flute recital in 2013. Upon graduating from NIU in 2014, he knew that he had to get out in to the world and make his dreams become reality. Rich moved across the country to pursue his dreams of being a performing musician and lived in Santa Barbara, California where he played for weddings, private parties, and other unique events.