Robert Sirota

Robert Sirota (b. 1949) is an American composer from New York City, father of violists Jonah Sirota and Nadia Sirota. He began compositional training at the Juilliard School, finishing Juilliard Pre-College in 1967, and received a bachelor's degree in piano and composition from The Oberlin Conservatory Of Music. Under a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship grant, Sirota continued studying and performing in Paris, under the guidance of Nadia Boulanger. After returning to the United States, Robert Sirota earned a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1979, where he studied with Earl Kim and Leon Kirchner. Sirota served as chairman of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University and director of the Boston University's School of Music. In 1995, Robert became a director of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. From 2005 to 2012, Robert Sirota was a president of the Manhattan School Of Music. He regularly holds university seminars and residencies across the United States, most recently at Peabody Institute, University Of Cincinnati, and Miami Dade Community College. The composer have received grants from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, U.S. Information Agency, National Endowment For The Arts, and the American Center For Students And Artists. Among the ensembles and orchestras who have been performing Robert Sirota's chamber works are Sequitur, YMusic, The New Hudson Saxophone Quartet, Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, Chiara String Quartet, American String Quartet, Ethel, Blair String Quartet, The Peabody Trio, The Concord Trio, The Fischer Duo, Oberlin College Conservatory Orchestra, The Peabody Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, Manhattan School Of Music Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Symphony, The Virginia Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Conservatory Of Music's Orchestra in Toronto, Orchestra Simfonică a Filarmonicii de Stat Oradea (Romania) and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia). In the season of 2016–17, Robert Sirota had his second string quartet, American Pilgrimage, premiered internationally by the American String Quartet. He also commissioned Three Nocturnes for Alarm Will Sound and A Call for the Battle to Cease for orchestra, chorus and piano for the Concert Artists of Baltimore 30th Anniversary Gala, with Simone Dinnerstein as soloist.