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The American tenor and music pedagogue, Fritz Robertson, studied at Houlton High Schoo in Houlton, Maine (Class of 1973). He obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from University of Maine at Orono (Class of (1978); his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University (Class of 1983); and his D.M.A (voice performance, music history) from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana (Class of 1995).
A performer of national reputation, Fritz Robertson has appeared with the Bangor Maine Symphony Orchestra, the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, the Bel Canto Chorus & Orchestra of Milwaukee, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, and in our nation’s capital with the National Chamber Orchestra and the Masterwork Chorus & Orchestra. He has often been a featured soloist with the Northwest Bach Festival in Spokane, Washington, under the direction of renowned conductor and composer Gunther Schuller. He has performed extensively in the Greater Boston area as soloist with organizations including the Handel and Haydn Society, the Boston Cecelia, and the John Oliver Chorale. In great demand as a guest artist in Indiana, he has been a featured soloist with the symphony orchestras of Muncie, Marion, Anderson, Lafayette, Manchester, Carmel, Fort Wayne and was privileged to be a featured soloist in Ralph Vaughan Williams' Serenade To Music, on Maestro Raymond Leppard's farewell concert with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Celebrated for his definitive accounts of the major Baroque and Classic oratorios and cantatas, the Bloomington Herald-Times said of Fritz Robertson's recent performances in J.S. Bach's St. John Passion (BWV 245), “Fritz Robertson served stunningly well as the story-telling Evangelist. His is a bracing high tenor along with an ability to make every word distinctly clear; there was a professional authenticity to his critically important contribution.” Though particularly involved in the performance of Baroque music, his extensive repertoire includes such diverse works as L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Orff's Carmina Burana, Igor Stravinsky's Les Noces, Puccini's Messa di Gloria, and Arthur Honegger's King David. He has been a frequent collaborator with the Lafayette Bach Chorale Singers in performances of J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232) and Magnificat in D Major (BWV 243), George Frideric Handel's Dettingen Te Deum, Orff's Carmina Burana, Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah and the Evangelist in J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244). Performing with cast members from the City Opera of New York, he sang the triple role of Governor/Vanderdender/Ragotski with the Lafayette Symphony in Leonard Bernstein's Candide. He is a featured soloist on the Pro Organo label CD recording, "In Praise of the Organ: Latin Choral and Organ Music of Zoltán Kodály."
With his wife, mezzo-soprano Patricia Robertson, he has appeared in recital in many venues including the Saint Andrew's Concert Series in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Northwest Bach Festival in Spokane, Washington, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and the Banco Centrale Concert Series in Cuenca, Equador.
Fritz Robertson has been at Anderson University in in Anderson, Indiana since 1991. At Anderson University, he serves as Professor of Music, Voice Area Coordinator, and Music Director for the Boze Lyric Theatre. He currently lives in Upland, Indiana. |
