Robert S. Cohen

Robert S. Cohen has written music for chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance and theatre. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions and his music has been performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, Symphony Space and the Sofia National Opera. His String Quartet #2 (A Day in the Life) was the winner of the 2011 International NE String Quartet Competition and his Mysterious Transformation of Johann B. for clarinet & percussion was the unanimous selected winner of the 2008 N.Y. Composer's Circle Award. Alzheimer’s Stories for soloists, chorus & orchestra with a libretto by 2012 Grammy winner Herschel Garfein was commissioned and premiered by the Susquehanna Chorale in 2009 and has received numerous performances throughout the U.S. Other recent works include: Five Nights in Sofia for violin & piano; Of Eternity Considered as a Closed System for soloists, chorus and orchestra; Edison Invents for baritone and orchestra commissioned by the Geraldine Dodge Foundation; Dream Journal for brass quintet; Homeland Security Suite and Tiktaalik for percussion ensemble and numerous choral works including a Rossetti Christmas Trilogy, Three Spirituals, Peter Quince at the Clavier, Stay in Time, Into the Light, Sprig of Lilac and God’s Whisper. His most recent choral work is a collection of pieces for children’s chorus entitled Lost Animals that musically and lyrically examines different species that have become extinct as the result of human actions in order to help children understand our responsibility to help preserve endangered species.

Bob also co-authored the book and composed the score for the 2000 Richard Rodgers Award winning Off-Broadway musical Suburb. He received his A.B. in music from Brown University; his M.A. in Composition from Queens College; and was enrolled in the doctoral program at Columbia University. He currently lives in Montclair, NJ with his wife Maryann and two cats, Fred & Ginger. His website is www.robertscohen.com.