Robert Blocker – piano

Robert Blocker began his study of piano at the age of five, presenting his first public recital two years later. His orchestral debut was at the historic Dock Street Theater in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, Mr. Blocker concertizes throughout the world. His recent orchestral engagements have included performances with the Beijing , Shanghai, and Houston symphony orchestras, Monterey Philharmonic (Mexico), Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the Daejeon (South Korea) Symphony.

Robert Blocker’s many contributions to the music community include service on the advisory boards for the Avery Fisher Artist Program and the Stoeger Prize at Lincoln Center, and the Gilmore Artist Advisory Board. Mr. Blocker appears frequently on the radio and television and in 2000, Steinway and Sons featured Robert Blocker in a film commemorating the tercentennial of the invention of the piano. In fall 2004, Yale University Press published his volume, The Robert Shaw Reader, now in its third printing. He is currently recording three Mozart concerti with the Biava Quartet for NAXOS.

Mr. Blocker’s honors and awards as artist and educator are numerous, including the Tuesday Musical Club Prize, South Carolina’s Order of Palmetto, outstanding professor awards at Brevard College (North Carolina) and Baylor University (Texas), and three honorary degrees. From 1995-2005 Robert Blocker served as Professor and the Lucy and Henry Moses Dean of Music at Yale University. Last July he assumed the position of University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at SMU in Dallas.