Like
a number of other distinguished American composers, Robert
Sirota has spent his professional life in striking a balance
between teaching, administration, and composition.
Sirota
was born in New York City on October 13, 1949, received his
earliest training in composition at The Juilliard School,
followed by undergraduate work leading to a Bachelor of Music
degree in piano and composition from Oberlin Conservatory
where he studied with (among others) Joseph Wood and Richard
Hoffmann. His 1971 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship allowed him
to study and concertize in Paris where his principal teacher
of theory and composition was Nadia Boulanger. Returning
to America, Sirota earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University
under the tutelage of Earl Kim and Leon Kirchner.
His
compositions, which have been performed in the United States
and Europe, include three short operas and a full-length
music theatre piece as well as orchestral, symphonic band,
chamber and recital works. A particularly significant dimension
of his output thus far has been his choral music and his
many works involving the organ.
The
multifaceted Sirota has also established an impressive track
record for conducting. Specializing in contemporary music,
he has led the premiere performances of dozens of new works.
Sirota
has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the United
States Information Agency, the National Endowment for the
Arts, Meet The Composer, and the American Music Center. He
is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors,
and Publishers and counts, among his awards, a First Prize
in the Long Island Composers Alliance Competition and the
Andrew White Medal from Loyola College (Baltimore).
Before
becoming Director of The Johns Hopkins University's prestigious
Peabody Institute (1995), Sirota has served as Chairman of
the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at
New York University and Director of Boston University's School
of Music. In 2005, he was appointed president of the Manhattan
School of Music in New York.
Instrumental
music by Robert Sirota
