On March 19, 1934, Richter gave his first recital, at the Engineers' Club of Odessa; but he did not formally start studying piano until three years later, when he decided to seek out Heinrich Neuhaus, a famous pianist and piano teacher, at the Moscow Conservatory.
19. ožujka 1934. godine Richter je imao svoj prvi recital, u klubu inženjera u Odesi, ali je formalno počeo studirati glasovir tek tri godine nakon toga, kad je odlučio potražiti Genriha Nejgauza, slavnog pijanista i učitelja, na Moskovskome konzervatoriju.