Born in Miami in 1949, Robert Hart is a composer, flutist (flautist if it is a paying gig), and until recently a wealth management advisor. His compositional influences go back to his freshman year in college when he participated in performances of Carmina Burana, Appalachian Spring, and The Rite of Spring, but he avidly borrows from medieval, baroque, 12-tone, and minimalist traditions and sometimes from jazz, pop, and Latin styles.

His love of theater and literature has led him to two collaborations with playwright Sharon Curcio. The Diary of Joseph, a one-act play that became a dance-drama, was premiered by the Ann Arbor Dance Works in December 1991, with performances at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater in Ann Arbor and the Midland (MI) Center for the Arts. It was acclaimed a “Wondrous Piece of Theater!” by the Saginaw News. Performances of Robert’s song setting of Psalm 124 and the women’s choral work Leaves Applauding have also received warm receptions.

Robert’s second collaboration with Ms. Curcio, Contemplating Fire – Joan of Arc, also derives from a one-act play. It is an oratorio, condensed from an opera, and is being produced in conjunction with the Shoreline Music Society. It features four nationally known singers, including Saginaw native Emily Marvosh as Joan. The 20-piece professional orchestra includes 11 percussionists and no violins and produces a unique and compelling contrast to the voices while still supporting them. The story explores the timeless themes of faith, love and betrayal, and power and its denial as Joan, alone in a prison cell, reflects on the visions, victories, and conflicts that will lead the following morning to her death.

Robert has a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where he studied flute with Thomas Nyfenger and Karl Kraber, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Miami School of Music, where he studied flute with Eugene Johnson and composition with John Butler. He credits his compositional development to his more than three decades of private study with Stephen Rush of the University of Michigan and is grateful for his friendship and guidance. He also thanks composer David Biedenbender and conductor Nathan Bieber for their insights and encouragement.

Robert also thanks his musical wife Pam, an accomplished ceramic artist and teacher, and his musical daughters, Catherine and Hannah, for their love and support, and he is grateful to his clients for their years of trust and patronage, without which large-scale productions such as Joseph and Joan would be impossible.