Robert Boardman

About

Robert W. Boardman studied conducting with Marin Alsop, Kurt Masur, Gustav Meier, and Kenneth Kiesler. He has also participated in dozens of masterclasses, workshops and seminars with major orchestras and conductors throughout the United States. In 2010, Robert achieved Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the #1 ranked conducting program in the nation by USNEWS & World Reports.

He was awarded 1st place in 2024, 2018, and 2015 for The American Prize, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming, for his work with the SBYSO.

Highlights

Conducting

Boardman studied conducting with Marin Alsop, Kurt Masur, Larry Rachleff, Harold Farberman, Lawrence Golan, Jean Reigles, Mark Hijleh, Gustav Meier, and Kenneth Kiesler. He has also participated in dozens of masterclasses, workshops and seminars with major orchestras and conductors throughout the United States. In 2010, Robert achieved Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the #1 ranked conducting program in the nation by USNEWS & World Report.

Grand Central Symphony of NYC

In both 2017 and 2015, Robert Boardman led the Grand Central Symphony of New York City on a national tour, collaborating with India’s Bollywood celebrity singer and songwriter, Arijit Singh, and his rock band. The tour traveled through sold-out 20,000 seat arenas in the cities of Atlanta, New York, Trenton, Orlando, Chicago, Oakland, San Jose, Tampa, Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, and Dallas.

SBYSO

The 2024-2025 SBYSO season marks Robert Boardman’s fourteenth season as Music Director and Conductor of the South Bend Youth Symphony Orchestras. He was awarded 1st place in 2024, 2018 and 2015 for The American Prize, Maestro Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming, for his work with the SBYSO.

The Lord of the Rings Symphony

Robert led a sold out performance at Boston Symphony Hall, of the Berklee College of Music Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, Berklee Choruses, and Voices Boston with Scottish soprano Maureen McMullen honoring the lifetime achievements of Berklee alumnus, composer Howard Shore, who was in attendance. Since 2006, Boardman has been a Conductor for Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony with CAMI Music, assisting in over 75 performances, touring both North America and Europe.

SBYSO Highlights

Highlights from past SBYSO seasons include commissioning the world premiere saxophone concerto by Jorge Muniz, Motown Dreams for Grammy Award winning saxophonist Timothy McAllister, as well as commissions of world premieres by composers Thom Limbert, John Griffith, Jessica Carter, Andrew Osano, and Ryan Olivier. In 2015, the SBYSO gave the North American premiere of Anna Clyne's Masquerade, which premiered the year before at the BBC Proms. The SBYSO is the first youth orchestra in the world to perform Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings Symphony in 2019, 2017 (The Fellowship of the Ring) and 2025, 2019 (The Two Towers and Return of the King).

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

From 2012-2018 Boardman served as frequent Cover Conductor, and Artistic Director of Live from Orchestra Hall, the free worldwide webcasts of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he often led pre-concert lectures and interviews. During this time, he assisted conductors Neeme Järvi, Leonard Slatkin, Fabien Gabel, Thomas Dausgaard, Hans Graf, Giancarlo Guerrero, Hannu Lintu, Andrey Boreyko, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Nicolaj Znaider.

Interlochen Residency

Two week Spring and four week Autumn residency at Interlochen during leading the IAA Orchestra in rehearsals and concerts: John Williams Olympic Fanfare and Theme, Dvorak Symphony no. 8, Brahms Tragic Overture, Christopher Theofanidis’ Rainbow Body, Mary Watkins’ The People’s Awakening (world premiere commission) and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Collaboration with faculty in rehearsals and sectionals, public Q&A with Christopher Theofanidis and Mary Watkins multiple performances during Collage, Fall and Spring concerts.

Nixon In CHina, University of Michigan

Other highlights include assisting Michael Christie and the Phoenix Symphony in a semi-staged production of John Adams’ opera, Nixon in China. At the University of Michigan, Boardman also conducted the world premiere performances and recording of Lembit Beecher’s multi-media oratorio "And Then I Remember...", a musical documentary about the life of Beecher’s Grandmother and her escape from Estonia during WWII. Robert has conducted 24 World Premieres and over 30 orchestras, including the Interlochen Academy Arts Orchestra, Cornell University Symphony Orchestra, Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.

Assistant Conductor to Marin Alsop

During the summers of 2010 and 2009, Robert was Assistant Conductor to Music Director Marin Alsop at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. There he served as cover conductor and worked alongside dozens of composers, including Philip Glass, Anna Clyne, Aaron Jay Kernis, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, and Kevin Puts.