Celebrated for his “waves of colorful sounds” (New York Times) and “smart, appealing works” (The New Yorker), Robert Honstein (b. 1980) is a New York-based composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and film music. Raised in New Jersey, his background as a pianist and singer brings a deep love of instrumental and vocal practice to collaborations with leading musicians from around the world.
Fueled by an omnivorous musical appetite, Robert’s compositions are noted for their “dry humor” (San Francisco Classical Voice), “breathless eruptions” (New York Times) and “devilishly fun writing” (The Arts Fuse). At times “profoundly moving” (Shepherd Express) and “genuinely touching” (Chicago Classical Review), Robert combines a fascination with narrative, environment, and everyday experience to create “deeply contemplative” (Bandcamp) works that probe the vicissitudes of contemporary life from the banal to the sublime. A growing interest in story-telling, expression and physicality infuses his work with a direct, evocative sensibility that is equal parts riotous frenzy, austere lyricism, and minimalist-tinged romanticism.
Leading orchestras, ensembles, and soloists from around the world have performed Robert’s music, including the Albany Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique du Mulhouse, Slovenian National Theater Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, American Composers Orchestra, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Dal Niente, Present Music, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Third Angle New Music, New Music Detroit, Quince, Mivos Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Argus Quartet, Hub New Music, Chatterbird, TIGUE, New Morse Code, Colin Currie, Theo Bleckmann, Doug Perkins, Michael Burritt, Karl Larson, Michael Compitello and Ashley Bathgate, among others. A keen interest in interdisciplinary collaboration has led to projects with artists across many disciplines, including photographer Chris McCaw, projection designer Hannash Wasileski, graphic designer Laura Grey, director Daniel Fish. His music has also been choreographed by numerous dance companies such as the Alysa Pines and the National Ballet of Canada, Cincinnati Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Nancy Karp and Dancers, BackhausDance, Urbanity Dance, and Frame Dance. His debut film score, The Real Charlie Chaplin, was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy in Outstanding Music Composition.
Robert is a founding member of the composer collective Sleeping Giant, a group of “five talented guys”, and projects have included evening length works for Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble ACJW the Deviant Septet, as well as a multi-year residency with the Albany Symphony. ‘Hand Eye’ for Eighth Blackbird was released on Cedille Records to critical acclaim, while the Giants most recent project ‘Ash’ was released on New Amsterdam Records with cellist Ashley Bathgate.
With a commitment to building community around the music of our time, Robert co-founded Fast Forward Austin, an annual marathon new music festival in Austin, TX and Times Two, a Boston based concert series that paired artists from diverse backgrounds in a laid back, accessible context. As an educator Robert has taught composition seminars and workshops around the country, while also serving as Program Director of Concert Composition at Composition Faculty at NYU, Steinhardt.
His debut album, RE: You, was released by New Focus Recordings in 2014 and his second album, Night Scenes from the Ospedale, a collaboration with the Sebastians, was released on Soundspells Productions in 2015. His 2018 album ‘An Economy of Means’, featuring Doug Perkins and Karl Larson, was released on New Focus Recordings. NPR included his piece ‘Conduit II. Pulse’ from Eighth Blackbird’s ‘Hand Eye’ as one of their top 100 songs of 2016, which was subsequently performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.
Robert recently completed, Endless Landscape, premiered at Carnegie Hall by Ensemble Connect, Evergreen for two percussionists widely performed by Arx Duo. a work for vibraphone and string quartet for The Vibraphone Project, a song cycle for No Exit New Music Ensemble, and new work for flutist Michael Avitable. Upcoming projects include a ballet with BalletCollective with choreographer Omar Román De Jesús.