Robert Paterson was born on 29 April 1970 in Buffalo, New York State USA, and is best known as a composer. He is the son of Tony and Eleanor Paterson, being born into an art-oriented family, Robert discovered his interest for music at an early age.
So just how rich is Robert Paterson as of late 2017? Authoritative sources estimate that Paterson’s net worth is as high as $19 million, accumulated from his over three decades-long career as a contemporary classical composer.
Robert Paterson Net Worth $19 million
Paterson was influenced by his father’s taste in music. Tony Paterson was a big fan of classical music and Robert developed a passion for that genre. He started composing as a boy, writing his first piece at the age of 13. Paterson began his formal music education in 1982, attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Subsequently, he spent the next summer studying there too, besides which he studied privately with William Ortiz-Alvarado from 1984 until 1986. Moving on, he was the student of the Nichols School to the eighth grade, and Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts later on. Robert also studied percussion with Lynn Harbold and Jack Brennan, among other teachers. Having finished with his high school education, he enrolled into the Eastman School of Music, where he studied a double major in composition and percussion with Christopher Rouse and Joseph Schwantner.
Graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music, Robert moved to New York, where he started a new job as a teacher at Bronx Community College, spending one year in that position before being hired at Sarah Lawrence College. In addition to teaching, Paterson was making submissions to ensembles such as Quintet of The Americas and The California EAR Unit, and went on to establish the American Modern Ensemble, alongside his wife. Besides being the conductor for the previously mentioned ensemble, Robert served on the same position at the Society for New Music ensemble and Atlantic Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble. Being a percussionist, he spent some time developing a six-mallet technique based on the Burton grip, and has written 14 compositions using the technique he had developed.
Evidently, Robert’s work was influenced by nature, featuring ecological themes. In 2006, he worked on the piece entitled ‘’Jewish Roots – Music for Wind Quintet’’, and the same year, his talent earned him a Copland House Residency Award. As of 2010, he released ‘’Star Crossing: Music of Robert Paterson’’, distributed by American Modern Recordings. His work with the company continued as they subsequently released ‘’Duo Scorpio: Scorpion Tales’’, and then collaborated for the creation of ‘’Wood and Forest’’ and ‘’Guerrilla New Music’’ in 2012 and 2013 respectively. The same year, Paterson’s efforts were rewarded with The Companion Award in the category of one-act opera for ‘’Three Way’’. In 2014, he composed ‘’Ars Nostra’’, published by the Centaur Records, receiving a Utah Arts Festival Composition Competition Award. In the following year, he composed the chamber opera in seven scenes entitled ‘’The Whole Truth’’ – presently, Robert’s discography includes 15 projects.
When it comes to his personal life, Robert is married to Victoria Paterson, a violinist. The couple has a son named Dylan and resides in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Robert lives a vegan lifestyle.
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