Georgia Institute of Technology might be better known for its engineering programs than for the arts, but that doesn’t stop students pursuing a range of personal interests, including music. Such is the case for Atlanta native and Georgia Delta alumnus Richard B. Burroughs IV (Georgia Tech ’13), who is the fiddle player for up-and-coming band Seven Handle Circus.
Richard graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in building construction and is employed as an assistant construction manager for Cortland Partners, an Atlanta-based developer. “My dad is a construction engineer from Tech and my mom worked in property management so they passed down a strong interest in the built environment,” he explained. “However, music has always been a hobby that I cannot stop pursuing.”
Richard began with classical guitar at the age of five. Fascinated with his sister’s violin, it wasn’t long before he made the switch. By the time he was six he was seriously studying music at the Suzuki School of Music. Jumping ahead several years, he and his current bandmates introduced their first full-length album, Shadows on the Wall, at a pre-release show at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on August 23.
Since forming in 2010, the six-piece band, comprised of a group of Georgia Tech classmates, Seven Handle Circus, or 7HC, has begun to make a name for itself in the Southeast and beyond. What’s more, 7HC is an interesting case study in ingenuity and how an up-and-coming business (in this case, a band) can realize its dreams by harnessing the power of social media. Utilizing online crowdsourcing site Kickstarter, the band was able to raise funds to complete its latest project.
“I appreciate the support that the Georgia Delta brothers have shown following the band around the region,” Richard added. “A certain amount of ambition surrounds a lot of brothers of Phi Delta Theta. This ambition gives you friends to root for, and it keeps your imagination open on what you can achieve. As for the future, my plan is to keep myself busy and not forget to enjoy the process.”
