Richard Verna already got a taste of university life at the age of five: he received professional lessons on his instrument from Annamarie Speermann as part of the Musikalische Frühförderung, the forerunner of today's PreCollege. After further educational stops, including at the University of Music in Saarbrücken, he returned to the University of Music Würzburg for the winter semester of 2021, where he worked on further refining his musical skills in the class of Prof. Oren Shevlin.

In 2023, the multiple award-winning cellist and recipient of the Cultural Promotion Prize of the City of Würzburg succeeded in earning the coveted academist position for his instrument with very convincing performances at the audition of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. In addition to further training and professional work in the renowned orchestra, the Bamberg program also plays an important role in promoting the "soft skills" of the young musicians supported there.