Rick Endel has more than 35 years of professional experience as a keyboardist and large ensemble teacher and director. He performs with various musicians and musical groups in Western Arkansas both live and in the studio.

Rick’s strength lies in his uncanny ability to emotional connect to a song and add, tastefully, just what’s needed to draw the listener into the song’s musical journey.

Creating beautiful professional recordings depends on connecting to a song at a soul level, and merge their talent with that of the other musicians. This sensitivity is what defines Rick Endel’s keyboard ability.

Originally from El Dorado, Arkansas, Rick is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University. Rick is a past president of the Arkansas International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE), a member of the Arkansas School Band and Orchestral Association (ASBOA), and a member of Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmaster’s Fraternity. Rick serves as a clinician, adjudicator, and artist throughout Arkansas and Oklahoma in concert and jazz bands.

Rick is married to Dr. Karen Endel, a retired professional band director and current principal of Butterfield Trail Middle School in Van Buren, Arkansas. Rick and Karen have two children, Dr. Kim Endel, a band director at the International School of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Kathryn Endel, a resident of Los Angeles.