Timeline
Robin Spielberg was classically trained as a pianist and began composing as a young girl. After earning a B.F.A. with high honors from New York University, Ms. Spielberg began a performance career as a soloist in New York City's finest piano rooms.It was in these rooms that Spielberg continued to hone her craft and find her voice as a composer. Listeners returned time and time again to hear Robin's unique style. In 1993 she recorded a CD containing eleven of her original compositions.
This recording, Heal of the Hand, was picked up by the North Star Music label the following year and went on to become the label's #1-selling recording for both l994 and l995. Heal of the Hand quickly placed Robin at the forefront of the contemporary music scene. "There's fire in the playing and rigor in the writing" says Musician Magazine of her debut release. Ms. Spielberg's masterful compositional technique and her extraordinary gift for creating enchanting melodies has won her a place among the nation's most respected contemporary pianists, as well as a slot on Steinway's Artist Roster.
Following her best-selling debut on North Star Music, Robin signed on with the label to record five more CDs. "Spirit of the Holidays" was released in fall 1994, a CD of traditional Christmas music with piano, cello and guitar. Her off-broadway musical for children, Balloonland, written with Barry Shulak, premiered at The Atlantic Theater Company in New York City after a summer production in Burlington ,Vermont. The Actor's Equity Association granted monies to the production so that it could tour childrens hospitals throughout the city.
North Star released two more recordings in 1995. The first, a recording of standards and theater songs "Unchained Melodies" was inspired by Robin's years in New York piano rooms. Recording songs taught to her by her parents as a girl and requested songs from the piano rooms of New York City, the CD became a best seller for North Star. It also earned a prestigious award in Hong Kong, listed as one of the "top 500 recorded Cds of all time".
The second release of 1995, "In the Heart of Winter", was a venture into new territory. Containing both traditional music for the holidays and Spielberg's originals for the season, the CD contained ensemble work including fiddle, bodhran, percussion, flute, whistle, synths, and cello. By this time fans were clamoring for a follow-up to "Heal of the Hand" and in 1996 Robin's solo original sequel was released, "Songs of the Spirit". In 1997 Robin recorded another solo album of originals, but this time incorporated a small ensemble. The late and great Scottish fiddler Johnny Cunningham is featured on several tracks. The musical chemistry was so fine between these two musicians that Johnny invited Robin to be a guest artist on his CD project, "The Soul of Christmas" , a two-CD project with narration by author Thomas Moore. PBS made a special around the project, and it was on the set of "The Soul of Christmas" that Robin met singers Cathie Ryan and Susan McKeown.
By this time, Robin's concert career began to flourish. She embarked on a twenty-city tour in support of her last two releases which included her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut at the Weill Recital Hall.
By this time, Robin's concert career began to flourish. She embarked on a twenty-city tour in support of her last two releases which included her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut at the Weill Recital Hall.
In 1998 Robin reunited with Cathie Ryan and Susan McKeown to make a project of their own, entitled "Mother", a CD that celebrated mothers and motherhood. Once again Johnny Cunningham was featured as a guest along as well as other Celtic music superstars Joannie Madden (whistles), John Doyle, Gerry O'Beirne (guitars). North Star Music decided to release the Cd and it became a hit in the gift store market.
Robin became pregnant during this project and gave birth in September 1998 to a baby girl. (The lullaby Robin composed for the Cd "Mother" was played in the delivery room). Several television appearances for "Mother" brought the recording much attention, including CBS Saturday Morning, LifeTime Live, ABC World News This Morning.
In May 1999 Robin , Cathie and Susan toured together with a band to promote "Mother", and Robin recorded a CD of lullabies entitled "Beautiful Dreamer: Lullabies for the Parent and Child". Robin Spielberg's interest in music and healing grew when she witnessed first-hand, the positive effect music had on her own baby daughter (born prematurely) during her four-month stay in the neo-natal intensive care unit. Beautiful Dreamer was hailed by Child Magazine as one of "The Best of 2000", and also received praise in Fit Pregnancy, Parenting, and The Washington Post.
In the Summer of 2000, Robin started her own independent record label, playMountain Music with her husband Larry Kosson. playMountain's debut release was Dreaming of Summer. "This album may be the finest collection of songs she has ever recorded," writes WindandWire.com. "The music has an emotional and musical complexity that is refreshing". The CD won a 'finalist award' from New Age Voice Magazine in the 'best acoustic instrumental CD' category.
Robin performed in 25 U.S. cities in celebration of the new CD, and it was later released in Korea under the title "Remembering You". The CD topped the contemporary instrumental charts there for several weeks. She also composed music for two of David Mamet's children's plays that received revivals at the Atlantic Theater Company in their 2000 season: The Frog Prince and The Poet and the Rent.
Robin's tenth recording, With a Song in My Heart, was released on playMountain Music.
It was around this time that Spielberg and Kosson formed another company, SMG Artists (Spobs Management Group) to serve as an artist booking agency. Her long-time goal of having a publishing company, record label and booking agency all in-house, was coming to fruition. Two holiday recordings followed in the fall of 2002: American Chanukah and The Christmas Collection,. It was also in this year that Robin was named the Celebrity Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association.
In fall 2003 Robin performed for 1300 music therapists at the AMTA national convention in Minneapolis. Robin visits hospitals, community centers and schools giving seminars on music therapy throughout her touring season. Her '03 touring schedule included 22 concerts and educational programs in Montana as well as programs in Ohio, Indiana and California. By this time the SMG roster had grown to include eight artists/groups.
In 2004 Robin made her Asian concert debut at the renowned Seoul Arts Center. The performance was televised throughout Asia. A commercial in Hong Kong for Mitsubishi featured Robin's piano composition,"The Promise". The digital download service from Apple Computer, iTunes, featured Robin's recordings, helping them gain new popularity among fans of the service. Playmountain Music released Robin's ten year retrospective in the fall.
Entitled Memories of Utopia, this CD was recorded in Los Angles by Steven Miller, the engineer who had worked with Robin on eight of her releases. The CD earned accolodes from audiences and critics alike. A special celebration concert tour capped the accomplishment. In 2005 Robin and her family re-located to rural Pennsylvania to allow for the expansion of SMG Artists. Prior to leaving NJ, Robin taped a segment for PBS Nightly News for their series on the "digital music revolution" The segment aired Fall '05.
In 2006 Robin's composition, "Walk With Me" was used as the 'compulsory waltz' in the Great Amercian Ballroom Competition on PBS. The West Florida Youth Ballet choreographed an evening of dance set to Robin's work. Robin also returned to Korea for concerts in Seoul and Busan. A CD compilation of her work entitled "Remembering You" was released in Asia.
March 2007: Robin embarked on a month-long tour with Steinway and piano technician in tow(!) through Montana and Idaho.Performing 32 times in a 28-day period, she drove thousands of miles and stayed on a cattle ranch during calving season. The concert tour also included several workshops and seminars on music therapy in hospitals, senior centers, schools and community centers.
2008: The release of Robin's 15th CD, "A New Kind of Love" on playMountain Music earns spectacular reviews and receives a nomination for "best piano album" from new age radio. Tours through the southwest and New England states in support of the album follow its release.
2009: The Great American Ballroom Challenge once again uses Robin's music for its competition, this time "A Song for Jennie". Robin joins the "social media revolution" with active accounts on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, linking her to fans around the globe.
2010: Robin signs with a sub-publishing deal with Sony/ATV for Asian territories. A return to Korea for a concert tour is scheduled for May. Robin and her husband/business partner Larry Kosson join forces with The Roots Agency, creating The Roots Agency/SMG Artists, a company representing 40+ touring acts in the US and abroad. Robin begins recording her 16th CD, "Sea to Shining Sea: A Tapestry of American Music " for piano/ensemble, due out September 2010.
