Described by the press as “a modern-day master” (AXS.com) and the “highlight of the program” (The New York Times), Robert Paterson has won awards for his music in virtually every classical genre. The Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie’s Weill Hall named Paterson Composer of The Year in 2011, and his music has been performed by over one hundred outstanding choirs and ensembles, including Musica Sacra in NYC, the Chamber Choir of Europe, Atlanta Master Chorale, Volti, the New York Choral Consortium, Nashville Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony, Austin Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recent commissions include Listen for Ember, Ghost Theater for the Albany Symphony, and The Winds of Time, commissioned by eight wind ensembles in honor of the Eastman School of Music’s 100th anniversary. Paterson’s recent debut choral album, Eternal Reflections, was released by Musica Sacra and Kent Tritle to critical acclaim. Paterson’s numerous awards include a three-year Music Alive grant from the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA, the American Composers Forum Jerome Composers Commissioning Program, and winning the Utah Arts Festival Commission Competition and Cincinnati Camerata Composition Competition.

Born in 1970, Paterson was raised in Buffalo, New York, the son of a sculptor and a painter. Although his first love was percussion, he soon discovered a passion for composition, writing his first piece at age thirteen. Paterson regularly gives master classes at numerous colleges and universities, most recently at the Curtis Institute of Music, Aspen Music Festival, New York University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Paterson’s recordings are also featured on the American Modern Recordings, Capstone, Centaur, and Summit labels.

Paterson resides in New York City and Saratoga Springs, NY, with his wife, Victoria, and son, Dylan.

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