"I was impressed by Robert’s professionalism and preparedness, as he expertly worked through the scores with the cast. And onstage, once again I was struck by Robert’s many talents as a piano player, as he was the sole musician on stage. Robert handled the incredibly difficult passages of those iconic scores with ease and dexterity, while still providing the requisite force and bravado to support the heightened drama of the songs. And again, in performance, he was a master accompanist, letting his instincts guide him to either lead the singers forward as required or lay back while a performer emoted or back-phrased sections of music. He even lent his strong rangy bari-tenor voice to the proceedings, which was quite a pleasant surprise."
Jeff Madden (award-winning actor, singer, and musical theatre performer based in Toronto, Canada - star of the hit musical Come From Away in Toronto, as well as ‘Frankie Valli’ in both the Toronto and Australian productions of Jersey Boys.)
Collaborative piano is a lifelong passion of Robert's and he has a great deal of experience in this area - with singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. He has maintained a private collaborative pianist and/or vocal/repertoire coaching studio for many years and has also freelanced for many institutions: TheWest Australian Opera Company, The Perth Symphonic Chorus, Queens University,theUniversity of Western Australia, the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Sheridan College, Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts,the Fremantle Symphony Orchestra, George Brown College, Canadian Children's Dance Theatre, and The Ontario School of Ballet amongst others.
Robert is always keen to explore new musical collaborations in this area. Being an excellent sight-reader and a quick study, he is a sought-after audition and master-class pianist, fluent in all styles of music from classical and opera, pop, rock, folk and jazz. As well as the Australian institutions referenced above Robert is also in demand as a collaborative pianist for the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB) and numerous educational institutions in the Perth area.
For several years Robert worked part-time in the Music Theatre Performance Program at St Lawrence College in Brockville, Ontario in the role of vocal coach, accompanist, lecturer (and amateur psychologist).
In Toronto he played for numerous auditions and vocal masterclasses, including the following entities:
The Directors Series (Tracey Flye) - Toronto
Stephanie Gorin Casting Inc - Toronto
Dayton/Walters Casting Inc (Book of Mormon) - Toronto
Magnus Theatre - Thunder Bay, Ontario
Port Hope Festival Theatre - Port Hope, Ontario
Showboat Festival Theatre - Port Colborne, Ontario
CATS Mainstage Theatre Company - Toronto
Etobicoke School of the Arts - Toronto
Big Voice Studio (Elaine Overholt) - Toronto
Micah Barne's Singers Playground - Toronto
Bremen Rock City- Toronto
Musical Works in Concert - Toronto
SEOK Productions - Toronto
VOCAL/REPERTOIRE COACHING
“It’s his fun-loving, kind, and hilarious personality that makes him the best to work with. Everyone feels welcome, happy, and comfortable when Robert is in the room. He brings a certain levity to all situations, and this is very important when creating. Robert keeps the atmosphere relaxed when the students may feel tense about their own skills and ability. He teaches the students to have fun with what they are doing instead of fearing what they may sound like while they’re doing it. They love working with him because he treats them with respect.”
Kara Spencer - Director "Theatre Hive" - Brampton, Ontario
Robert also offers private vocal/repertoire coaching sessions for singers of all abilities. If you are preparing for an audition, struggling with a harmony line, need a recording, or looking to find some new repertoire (he has a huge selection for men AND women, particularly in the Music Theatre, pop and jazz, genres) then please consider contacting Robert. He also offer general musicianship classes for singers who want to improve in that area.
Here is some video from a recent concert featuring Toronto pianist, conductor (and dear friend) Oksana Vignan performing a duet of Greig's Peer Gynt Suite, followed by a video of Robert performing a mixture of classical, jazz, light pop, and ballads (piano solo pieces):
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
Just me, a baby grand and a room full of strangers who will soon become a FAMILY through music.....come be a part of it! We can pretend we are on a cruise ship!
4 hours of requests, 4 hours of sing-a-long, 4 hours of fun! Every Friday and Saturday starting March 20th!
I am PUMPED to be starting this residency in the city in the Downbeat Basement at Pirate Life in the city! That's right - EVERY Friday and Saturday night!
No song too cheesy! This is the evening you have been waiting for Get the train in and come and sing with me!
Bring yer mom, your sister, you dad, your neighbour, your son, your school buds.....bring em all!
See you there!
