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 Ye-Eun Choi, 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 and is grateful to the Arts Council of Wales for their support in his vision to create a partnership with Disability Arts Cymru.
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As a guest conductor Robert works regularly with Manchester Camerata where he has performed with Tine Thing Helseth, recorded for Sony Playstation and performed for Manchester International Festival. Passionate about audience and community engagement, Robert is a skilled animateur and workshop leader in a range of settings from schools to care homes in cities and rural communities. Internationally, Robert has been selected for prestigious masterclasses working with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Conductors Lab in Aix-en-Provence, Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Sian Edwards at the St Magnus International Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Chorus with Simon Halsey and Nicholas Fink, and the Berlin Sinfonietta with Mikhail Jurowski.
