Robert’s collaborative approach to building trust with musicians has been shaped by his early professional career as a viola player, where he notably played with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North and alongside the Allegri and Edinburgh String Quartets. As Artistic Director and co-founder of NEW Sinfonia, orchestra in residence at the North Wales International Music Festival, Robert has worked with leading soloists including Tamsin Waley Cohen, Federico Colli and Raphael Wallfisch and has led education workshops featured by the BBC. A committed advocate of collaborative working, Robert leads an evolving partnership with Welsh National Opera in North Wales where he has conducted Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Haydn’s The Creation. He is grateful to the Arts Council of Wales for their support in his vision to create a partnership with Disability Arts Cymru.
As a guest conductor Robert works regularly with Manchester Camerata where he has performed with trumpet virtuoso Tine Thing Helseth in a new concerto Seven Halts on the Somme by Deborah Pritchard, recorded for Sony Playstation and performed for Manchester International Festival. Passionate about audience and community engagement, Robert is a skilled concert presenter, animateur and education workshop leader in a range of settings from schools to care homes in cities and rural communities.
