Aaron Robinson (composer)

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Aaron Robinson
Born 1970 (age 53–54)[1]
Camden, Maine, U.S.
Genres Classical, jazz, ragtime, film, Broadway
Occupation(s) Composer, conductor, author
Instruments Piano, organ
Years active 1986–present
Labels Music at Immanuel
Website aaronrobinson.info

Aaron Robinson is an American composer, conductor, and musicologist.[2] He is the author of Does God Sing? – A Musical Journey. He created the musical work Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration. He also served as conductor and musical director in the PBS documentary On This Island.[3] In 2013, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for composing Maine Public Broadcasting Network's Maine Arts series theme music.[4]

Personal background

Robinson attended Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, Maine. At 16 years of age, a self-taught musician who never took piano lessons,[1] he became the organist at both the Broad Cove Community Church in Cushing and the Friendship United Methodist Church.[5] By his late teens, he was creating, performing and producing concerts and theatrical productions, including the musical Moody Blue for which he wrote both the music and lyrics.[6] According to a 2013 interview, Robinson studied composition and piano performance at the Boston Conservatory of Music with composer John Adams and Lawrence Thomas Bell, and film scoring with John Williams at the Berklee School of Music.[1] In 2001, he became organist and choir master for “Music at Immanuel” at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland, Maine.[1]

In 2009, he retired from public performing due to illness. During which time Robinson wrote the memoir, Does God Sing – A Musical Journey.[5] It reached #5 on the Barnes & Nobles best-sellers non-fiction paperback list for March 2013.[7]

Currently, Robinson lives on the coast of Maine with his wife and son.[1]

Career

Robinson has conducted works for the concert and theatrical stage, including Leonard Bernstein's Candide – The Concert Version.[8] In 1997, Robinson conducted Treemonisha: The Concert Version by ragtime composer Scott Joplin at the Rockport Opera House in Rockport, Maine, with a new libretto by Judith Kurtz Bogdanove.[9]

In 2001, he orchestrated, arranged, and conducted the musical Islands,[10] which was produced on Broadway at the New Victory Theater[11] by John Wulp, with music and lyrics by Cindy Bullens.[12]

Robinson conducted the world premiere performance of his Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration in 2001 at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland, Maine.[13] The concert version recreated the original performance of Langston Hughes's Gospel Song-Play Black Nativity [14] that opened in 1961 at the 41st Street Theatre in New York City. In 2004, the documentary film Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration was made about the world premiere performance, production, and creation under the direction of Robinson with the original cast.[15] In December 2013, Robinson collaborated with Dr. Anthony Antolini and the Bowdoin College Chorus and Down East Singers to mount a revised version of his 2004 creation.[2]

Robinson composed An American Requiem, which had its New England Premiere under the direction of Dr. Robert Russell and the USM Chorale.[16] He also wrote “Driving Old Memories” with his father Ervin Robinson, and the country song “Momma Never Had Life Easy – So She Made Life Easy for Me”.[5][17][18] In 2012 he wrote the music for the independent documentary In the Shadows of Grey Gardens[5] In an article entitled “Robinson and Ragtime”, David Welker called him “one of today’s leading proponents of early jazz and ragtime music”. He is perhaps best known for his composition “The New England Ragtime Suite” for piano.[19][citation needed]

In 2014, the opening of Maine Public Broadcasting’s “Maine Arts!” Series received an Emmy Award at the 36th annual New England Emmy Awards for which Robinson contributed the series’ theme music and was nominated for a separate Emmy Award.[20]

Robinson composed the Maine-based musical, The Legend of Jim Cullen - A Dramatic Musical, which received its world premiere at the Heartwood Regional Theater Company in the summer of 2014.[21]

Published works

  • Robinson, Aaron (2013). Does God Sing?: A Musical Journey, Tate Publishing. 182 pages. ISBN 978-1621474630
  • Langston, Hughes (1961) Aaron Robinson (2004). Black Nativity, Dramatic Publishing. 34 pages. ISBN 0871291924

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003 On This Island Music Director (self) PBS Documentary

Film

Year Film Title Role Notes
2004 Black Nativity: In Concert - A Gospel Celebration Conductor (self) Documentary
2009 Gamer Musician Music Department
2012 In The Shadows of Grey Gardens Composer Soundtrack
2014 The Truth About You Composer Soundtrack

Discography

Year Album Title Performers Record Label
1998 Treemonisha – In Concert Aaron Robinson, Various Take-a-Bough Productions
2004 Black Nativity – In Concert: A Gospel Celebration Aaron Robinson, Paul Havenstein II, Various Music at Immanuel
2008 Symphonic Dances Aaron Robinson, organ Music at Immanuel
2011 La Belle Epoque Aaron Robinson, piano Music at Immanuel
2011 They All Played Ragtime (re-release) Aaron Robinson, piano Music at Immanuel
2014 Works For Harpsichord: JS Bach & GF Handel Aaron Robinson, harpsichord Music at Immanuel
2014 The Legend of Jim Cullen - A Dramatic Musical The Legend of Jim Cullen Cast Ensemble MAI
2015 Max Morath - Complete Ragtime Works for Piano Aaron Robinson, piano MAI

Awards and nominations

Year Association Award category Result
2013 Emmy Award Musical Composition Opening Nominated

References

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External links

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