ROCHESTER, NY – Grammy Award-winning tenor Robert Swensen will join the voice faculty of the Eastman School of Music as an associate professor of voice in July.
Mr. Swensen formerly was chairman of the voice area at his alma mater, the University of Arizona School of Music and Dance, and had also served as assistant professor of voice at the School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A noted Mozart and bel canto specialist, Mr. Swensen has appeared as guest artist with major opera companies including those of Stuttgart, Teatro La Fenice (Venice), Bayreuth, the Bavarian State Opera (Munich), the Berlin State Opera, the Opera Comique (Paris), the Grande Theatre (Geneva), and the Vienna State Opera.
Mr. Swensen, who was mentored and has been closely associated with tenors Nicolai Gedda and Luciano Pavarotti, has received numerous honors and awards, including first prizes at the 1987 Concert Artists Guild International New York Competition and the Premio Giuseppe Borgati Concorso-Italy. In 1985, his recording Barber: Anthony and Cleopatra won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Recording.
"We are excited to have Mr. Swensen join our faculty. He is a very fine singer and has a strong reputation as a teacher," said John Maloy, professor of voice and voice department chair.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Arizona, Mr. Swensen also received a Professional Studies Diploma from the Juilliard School and a master’s in music from the University of Southern California.
Established in 1921 by George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, has achieved international prominence including the top ranking in the U.S. News and World Report survey of the nation’s best graduate schools. Five Eastman-trained composers and three faculty members have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, and the School’s graduates are members of all of America’s leading orchestras. Each year, the Eastman School presents more than 700 concerts by guest artists, faculty members, and talented student ensembles.
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Note to editors: A photo of Robert Swensen is available upon request.