Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Bosworth.
Hi Robert, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I can’t remember an era in my life when I wasn’t making music in some form or another. I started formal piano lessons around age five, though I’m told I was drawn toward the instrument from infancy, often crawling over to be near the piano at my parents’ house. Throughout my childhood in Fort Worth, Texas, I continued lessons and sang in many choirs at church and school. I took a few other instruments for a test drive along the way, including the violin, clarinet, and euphonium. I was even on the drumline my freshman year of high school.
Eventually I decided to attend the University of Kentucky to get a BM in Piano Performance, with a minor in Voice Performance. During the course of those four years, I discovered that my primary musical interests were shifting away from those geared toward a life of a solo concertizing. I became much more enamored with more collaborative musical pursuits, particularly those which involved singers. Because of this, I then attended the Manhattan School of Music to get a Masters in Accompanying, studying with Warren Jones.
Following my two years in New York City, I hopped around the country for the next several years, participating in various training programs such as Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Merola Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Music Academy of the West. I also served on the music staffs of various opera companies and schools, including Santa Fe Opera, Chicago Summer Opera, and Roosevelt University. In 2022 I relocated back to Lexington, Kentucky, where I currently coach and lead classes at the University of Kentucky, though I continue to work outside of academia as well.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think any worthy pursuit in life is bound to include struggles at some point, and a career in music is certainly no exception! Possibly the biggest struggle I encountered in my music-making was finding my own way of doing things, a struggle I also see now in several of my students. While still in school, students are still learning fundamental principles of technique, musicality, and overall artistry. At that stage, there is often a prevailing mindset to “do everything right” or “make our teachers happy,” and I can understand that completely. There is a LOT to learn. However, as we continue to gather the tools that contribute to everything we do in a performance, we must never forget that WE are the ones doing it, not our teachers.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Though I enjoy wearing many hats, I am currently primarily what the classical world calls a “vocal coach.” In the classical world, there is more of a distinction between the usual duties of a coach and a “voice teacher.” Mainly, the teacher primarily focuses on technique, and the coach primarily focuses on performative aspects (artistry, languages, style, etc.) That being said, no one aspect of singing can exist on its own, so there is often much overlap between what teachers and coaches discuss with their students, especially after a singer has a strong foundational sense of their technique.
As a coach, I believe I have a particular strength in encouraging my students to take ownership of their work. Again, they are the ones doing it in the end, not me. I want everything they do in a performance to be a conscious choice that they themselves feel is valid, appropriate, and purposeful in any given moment. I’m extremely proud when a student comes into a coaching with ideas of their own, rather than just waiting for me to tell them whether something is “right or wrong.” There’s a lot less “right or wrong” in music than many of us are lead to believe at an early age, and watching them realize that through the course of their learning is very exciting for me as a coach.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert.bosworth.music/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/5NwWb4EbfXPN82O0KUMA5O
