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The American composer, arranger and editor, Robert Schultz, grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania where his music training began with piano teacher Katherine Keighley. In addition to his piano studies he was an active athlete involved in track, cross-country and was a member of the state champion basketball team. He also became an avid fly fisherman, spending time trout-fishing in the limestone streams of western Pennsylvania. Following high school, Schultz enlisted in the navy where he received training as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Technician and was assigned to VP-23, a patrol squadron based in Brunswick, Maine. As an air-crewman, Schultz made deployments to Iceland, Spain, the Azores, Sicily and Crete. During his time in the navy Schultz's love of music, especially the piano, continued to grow. With no opportunity for formal music study readily available, he spent much of his off-duty time practicing and composing on whatever piano could be found on the base where he was stationed.
In 1971, Robert Schultz entered the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University, where he later would graduate magna cum laude, earning a Bachelor of Music Degree in Theory/Composition, and a Master of Music Degree in Composition under the tutelage of Thomas Canning. Schultz applied himself as a serious composer from the beginning of his study with Canning, creating a number of works that were later published and continue to be performed around the world today. He composed and arranged for many of WVU's performing ensembles, and wrote the incidental music for productions of The Seagull and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Schultz also wrote original music for his own piano students, compositions which would later be published in his Future Artist Series.
Robert Schultz was equally serious about his piano studies during this years at WVU, studying with James Miltenberger and Herman Godes. He maintained an active piano teaching schedule, teaching in the Preparatory Department, the summer Fine Arts Camp, and as a graduate teaching assistant teaching both private and group piano. Schultz was an active accompanist as well as the pianist for the WVU Jazz Band and the highly-acclaimed Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Phillip Faini. Schultz also developed a keen and lasting interest in piano technology, which he studied with master-technician Dean Shank. Schultz recalls his years at WVU as an extraordinary educational experience, crediting his study and participation in a wide range of music disciplines as the foundation for the diversity of his library of publications.
In 1978 Schultz moved to Miami, Florida to begin work for Columbia Pictures Publications as an arranger. Within one year Schultz was promoted to Senior Keyboard Editor and also became the featured piano writer for the publisher. The earliest editions of his published works included the Future Artist Series, piano transcriptions of orchestral works, arrangements of popular music, and Schultz editions of standard classical piano pieces--all of which became the basis for The Schultz Piano Library, established in 1980. During the next 25 years, Schultz would write more than 3,000 works for this library published within the catalogs of Belwin Mills, Columbia Pictures Publications, The FJH Music Company, and Warner Bros. Publications.
Robert Schultz has achieved international fame during his career in the music publishing industry. The Schultz Piano Library has included more than 500 publications of classical works, popular arrangements, and Schultz's original compositions in editions for pianists at every level from beginner to concert artist. In addition to this extensive library of published piano works, Schultz's output includes original orchestral works, chamber music, works for solo instruments and vocal music.
Robert Schultz has presented his published works at music dealer workshops, clinics and convention showcases throughout the USA and Canada. He frequently judges piano competitions and composition contests. Schultz has been a member of ASCAP since 1982, has served as President of the Miami Music Teachers Association, and is an active member of numerous other professional music organizations. While currently involved in a number of recording projects and a new series of original works for solo string instruments with piano, Schultz continues to devote the majority of his writing time to the creation of new editions in The Schultz Piano Library. |
