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"Maestro Jon Robertson is a conductor who inspires confidence in a listener – his beat is utterly secure, his feeling for structure unfailing, his overall manner, no-nonsense elegance."
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
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Maestro and Musician
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Child Prodigy
Maestro Jon Robertson’s career as a concert pianist began at the age of nine with his debut in New York City’s historic Town Hall, after which he concertized extensively throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe. The young prodigy and student of the renowned pianist and teacher Ethel Leginska was awarded a full scholarship for six consecutive years to The Juilliard School. |
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Academic Career
At The Juilliard School, where he earned B.M., M.S. and D.M.A. degrees in piano performance as a student of Beveridge Webster. While at Juilliard, he studied choral conducting with Abraham Kaplan and orchestral conducting with Richard Pittman of the New England Conservatory of Music. |
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Department of Music at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama
After completing his master’s degree at The Juilliard School, Robertson was appointed chair of the Department of Music at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. Among many accomplishments realized during his tenure, the highlight was a tour of the college choir and Huntsville Symphony to Los Angeles, California, performing Verdi’s Requiem to a rave review by the Los Angeles Times. |
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Doctorate from The Juilliard School
In 1970 Robertson returned to Juilliard as a Ford Foundation Scholar to complete his Doctorate of Musical Arts, following which he once again performed with the Oakwood College choir and the American Symphony Orchestra, performing Verdi’s Messa da Requiem in Carnegie Hall to critical acclaim by The New York Times. |
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Chair of the Thayer Conservatory of Music at Atlantic Union College
In 1972, Robertson became Chair of the Thayer Conservatory of Music at Atlantic Union College, in Massachusetts, where he instituted the highly successful Thayer Preparatory Division; began the Thayer Conservatory Orchestra; tripled enrollment, renovated and refurbished the historical Thayer Mansion, home of the Thayer Conservatory; and led the New England Sinfonia on a national tour in 1975. |
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Music Director of the Kristiansand and Symphony
Robertson was the first and only private student of Maestro Herbert Blomstedt with whom he worked in Sweden and East Germany. Following a 1979 guest conducting engagement with the Kristiansand and Symphony Orchestra in Norway, he became its Music Director, where he served until 1987. Under his dynamic leadership, the orchestra enjoyed critical acclaim and consecutive sold-out seasons. While Music Director of the Kristiansand and Symphony, Maestro Robertson also led performances of La Bohéme at the Den Norsk Opera in Oslo, and yearly productions with the Kristiansand Opera Company. |
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Music Director of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra
Maestro Robertson was appointed Music Director of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra in California the fall 1982. During his 33-year tenure at the helm of the orchestra, ticket sales increased to capacity houses and the Redlands Symphony has enjoyed the distinction of receiving the highest ranking possible from the California Arts Council, as well as top ranking with the National Endowment for the Arts. |
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International Guest Conductor
Maestro Robertson has enjoyed an active international career as guest conductor, including the San Francisco Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, Tronheim Symphony Orchestra in Norway, Beijing Central Philharmonic, Gavel Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, Bratislava Chamber Orchestra, Fairbanks Symphony, Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and the Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra, among others. He is a regular guest conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Egypt and was the Principal Guest Conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan from 1995-98. |
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Department Chair of Music at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
From 1992-2004, Dr. Robertson served as Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). During his tenure, the department gained national and international recognition, attracting world-renowned faculty and highly gifted students, thus creating a world-class department of music. Robertson was honored at the Presidents Recognition Dinner for being instrumental in raising more than two million dollars for scholarships, as well as the expansion of the Opera department and Music Theater through the Gluck Foundation and other donors. President’s Award for Outreach Programs Recipient
While at UCLA, Dr. Robertson also created the Music Outreach Program targeting inner city African-American and Latino students at designated high schools and junior high schools. On a weekly basis, music students from UCLA gave private lessons to students who were enrolled in music programs at selected inner-city schools in Los Angeles. Funding for this program was raised through private donors, allowing this exceptional program to be created and flourish at no cost to the institutions. Following the receipt of a grant from the Toyota Foundation, the students were also tutored in math and reading in preparation for the SAT exams. In order to complement the work accomplished at their respective schools, students were bused to UCLA for practice SAT tests. Thanks to the Music Outreach Program, a number of students were admitted to UCLA, and 98 percent of the students in the program went on to colleges in the United States. As a result of this program’s success, Robertson was the recipient of the President’s Award for Outreach Programs from UCLA. |
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Dean of the Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida
Dr. Robertson has been the Dean of the Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida since 2004. Under his visionary leadership, the conservatory has joined the ranks of major conservatories and institutions of music, boasting a world-renowned faculty of performers and scholars. The conservatory is highly selective, accepting students from fourteen foreign countries. With an intentional enrollment of just over 100 students, only the most talented applicants are accepted and mentored by the extraordinary faculty. |