Robert Baksa

Robert Baksa was born in New York City in 1938 of Hungarian Parentage and is one of America's most prolific composers. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona and eventually earned a BA in Composition at the University of Arizona. He returned to live in New York City in the early 60s. He has written more than 500 pieces of music since his first efforts as a teenager. Since his earliest New York reviews critics have noted his melodic gifts, the structural clarity and harmonious nature of his music. His first pieces, short piano pieces written in the early 1950s which he later arranged for wind trio, are in fact still being performed around the world. His numerous choral pieces have been performed in many countries and his art songs have been featured in two recent studies on the subject of American Art Song. Performers who have been associated with his music include Harpsichordist Elaine Comparone who has commissioned a number of works, Saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, Sharon Robinson, The Boehm Wind Quintet, the Virtuosi Wind Quintet, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, the Sylvan Winds and the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble which began its existence with a full evening of Baksa's music. The composer makes his home in Columbia County in the Mid Hudson Valley where he serves as New Music Coordinator and Composer in Residence for the Pleshakov Music Center.