Robin Spielberg | |
---|---|
Born | New Jersey, U.S. | November 20, 1962
Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer |
Years active | 1990s–present |
Spouse | Larry Kosson |
Children | Valerie Kosson [1] |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument |
|
Labels |
|
Website | www |
Robin Spielberg (born November 20, 1962) is an American pianist, composer, actress, and author. Her album Downtown charted at #5, and By Way of the Wind charted at #7 on Billboard 's Classical Crossover Chart in 2023. [3] [4] Spielberg is a Steinway artist, has performed at Carnegie Hall, and has toured extensively with singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. [5] [6] [7] [8] She is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company, made her off-Broadway debut in Boy's Life at Lincoln Center in 1988, and has performed in radio dramas. [9] Her memoir, Naked on the Bench: My Adventures in Pianoland, received positive reviews and won the Readers' Favorite gold medal in 2014. [10] [11] [12] She gave a TEDx talk titled "The Healing Power of Music" in 2014, and is a spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association. [13] [14]
Robin Spielberg was raised in the suburban town of Maplewood, New Jersey and began formal piano lessons at the age of seven. [15] She attended Michigan State University and later Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, graduating from NYU with honors and a BFA in Undergraduate Drama.
Her paternal grandfather, Rubin Spielberg, a flutist, and her great-uncle Herman Spielberg, a violinist, were musicians with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Arturo Toscanini. [16] [17] [18] Although she never met her grandfather, in her memoir she credits him with providing creative inspiration. [19]
Spielberg is a co-founder of the Atlantic Theater Company and wrote the music for its first musical, Balloonland, in 1991. She has acted in off-Broadway plays including Howard Korder's Boys' Life and The Lights at Lincoln Center, composed music for David Mamet's translation of Three Sisters (directed by William H. Macy), and had roles in two children's plays written by (David Mamet) which aired on NPR. [20] [21] [22] [23] [7] She played piano in hotel lobbies and piano rooms for several years while pursuing her acting career. [24]
In 1993, Spielberg self-released her solo piano debut album, Heal of the Hand, produced by Steven Miller, which was later released by North Star Music. It became their best-selling album in 1994 and 1995. [24] Spielberg was added to the Steinway Artist roster in 1996. [25] [26] In 1997, she made her concert debut in a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall. [27] [28] She has released 24 studio albums and has had five top-10 Billboard charting albums. Her music has won Global Music Awards, and has been nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award and a Hollywood Music in Media Award. [29] [30] Spielberg's music has been featured on PBS and the History Channel, among others. [31] [32]
Spielberg has toured throughout the United States and Eastern Asia. In 2023, made her orchestral debut as piano soloist with the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra featuring her original work for full symphony, By Way of the Wind. [33]
Her memoir, Naked on the Bench: My Adventures in Pianoland, received positive reviews, with Kirkus calling it "a well-paced musical memoir about the value of perseverance". [10]
Year | Title | |
---|---|---|
US | ||
2018 | On the Edge of a Dream: Piano Solos For Dreaming [34] | 6 |
2020 | Love Story [35] | 11 |
2021 | Give My Regards to Broadway [36] | 7 |
2023 | Downtown [3] | 5 |
2023 | By Way of the Wind [4] | 7 |
Year | Nominated work | Category | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | "Flying" | Icon Award Winner/Best Classical Crossover Song/Best Production | Intercontinental Music Awards [37] | Won |
2024 | "Ireland: An Orchestral Portrait" (music video) | Best Original Score | Swedish International Film Festival [38] | Won |
2024 | "By Way of the Wind" | Best Classical Crossover Album | Radio Music Awards [39] | Won |
2023 | "Best in Music Genre" | Contemporary Classical | Hollywood Independent Music Award [40] | Nominated |
2023 | "Best in Music Genre" | Best Classical Song | Clouzine Award [41] | Won |
2023 | "By Way of the Wind" | Contemporary Classical | Global Music Award (Gold Medal) [29] | Won |
2022 | "Ireland: An Orchestral Portrait" | Classical Crossover, Orchestral Arrangement | Global Music Award (Silver Medal) [42] | Won |
2022 | "Best in Music Genre" | Epic, Orchestral | Hollywood Music in Media Award [30] | Nominated |
2018 | "On the Edge of a dream" | Album of the Year | Whisperings Solo Piano Radio [43] | Nominated |
2015 | "Another Time, Another Place" | Album of the Year | Whisperings Solo Piano Radio [43] | Nominated |
2014 | "Naked on the Bench: My Adventures in Pianoland" | Readers Choice | Gold Medal [12] | Won |
1988 | "Boy's Life" | Outstanding Ensemble Performance | Drama Desk Award [44] | Nominated |
Spielberg is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company, [45] and acted in dozens of plays with the company, including Boys' Life (which was nominated for a Drama Desk award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance) [46] and The Lights by Howard Korder at Lincoln Center. [47] She composed music for several Atlantic Theater Company productions, including the David Mamet adaptation of Three Sisters directed by William H. Macy, [22] [48] and two children's plays written by David Mamet airing on National Public Radio (NPR): The Poet and the Rent and The Revenge of the Space Pandas. In 1992, Spielberg and Barry Shulak co-wrote a musical for young audiences entitled Balloonland. Originally produced in Vermont by the Atlantic Theater Company, Balloonland later debuted off-Broadway on ATC's New York City stage in 1993. [49] [50]
As of 2023, Spielberg had recorded 24 albums and appeared on over 50 compilations.
Her debut album of original piano solos entitled Heal of the Hand was recorded independently in 1993. [51] The album was picked up by the indie label North Star Music in 1994, [51] and became their best-selling CD of the decade. [52] According to North Star president Richard Waterman, Spielberg sold between 160,000 and 200,000 albums during 1995 and 1996, although SoundScan only registered 1,800 sales, with the bulk of sales through specialist outlets. [53] By 1999 she had reportedly sold 300,000 albums. [52]
Spielberg's original 1994 agreement with North Star Music was a six-record deal, covering recording and release of two albums per year over the course of three years. During this period, the following titles were released under the North Star label: Heal of the Hand (1993), Spirit of the Holidays (1994) featuring Christmas-themed tracks, [54] Unchained Melodies (1995), In the Heart of Winter (1995), Songs of the Spirit (1996), and In the Arms of the Wind (1997). Additional titles subsequently released by North Star include Mother (1999) and Spa Piano (2007). The former is a collaboration with singers Cathie Ryan and Susan McKeown featuring songs celebrating motherhood. [55] When North Star folded in 2011, Spielberg bought back the masters for her albums released under that label.
Beginning in 2000, Spielberg started releasing albums under her own playMountain Music label. These include Beautiful Dreamer (2000), Dreaming of Summer (2000), The Christmas Collection (2002), American Chanukah (2002), With a Song in My Heart (2004), Memories of Utopia (2005), A New Kind of Love (2008), Sea to Shining Sea: A Tapestry of American Music (2010), Another Time, Another Place (2015), On The Edge Of A Dream: Piano Solos For Dreaming (2018), Love Story (2020), Re-Inventions (2020), Give My Regards to Broadway (2021), Downtown (2022), and By Way of the Wind (2023).
Another Time, Another Place was nominated for a Zone Music Award. On May 7, 2016, Spielberg performed at the awards show at the Joy Theater New Orleans, Louisiana. [56] The album was also nominated for a Whisperings Solo Piano Radio Award [57] and a One World Music Radio award in the UK. [58]
In March 2018 Spielberg debuted at number 6 in the Billboard New Age chart with her album On the Edge of a Dream: Piano Solos For Dreaming. [34] The CD was ranked number 7 on the Zone Music Reporter radio charts for the months of June and July 2018. [59]
During 2022 she was nominated by the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for her epic piece Ireland: An Orchestral Portrait. [60] The piece won Clouzine International Magazine's award for "Best Classical Song" in 2023, [61] and a silver medal for Best Orchestral Arrangement and Best Classical Crossover composition at the Global Music Awards. [62]
In June 2023 Spielberg's piano arrangements of nostalgic pop songs, Downtown, debuted at #5 on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart.
By Way of the Wind, Spielberg's fully orchestrated album of original works, debuted on Billboard's Classical Crossover chart at #8 on November 4, 2023, and remained on the chart for three weeks. The Brazosport Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Brian Casey, premiered the entire collection of work on By Way of the Wind on November 12, 2023, with Spielberg as soloist. [63] In December 2023, Global Music Awards designated Spielberg a Gold Medal Winner in the category Contemporary Classical - Composer for By Way of the Wind. [64]
In addition to her recording career, Spielberg served as an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel. [65]
Spielberg was added to the Steinway Artist roster in 1996. [25] [26]
Spielberg tours both nationally and overseas. [66] Performance highlights within the United States include three sold-out performances at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York City). [18] Overseas, she has toured South Korea three times, appearing at KBS Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the LG Arts Center (2010). [67] [68] [69]
Spielberg is signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in Asia, and her piece "An Improvisation on the Canon in D" is used in the soundtrack of the South Korean television drama series Winter Sonata . [70]
In January 2015 Spielberg began opening for the renowned songwriter Jimmy Webb at the Sharp Theater in Mahwah, New Jersey. [71] She remained his preferred opener for six years.
In July 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism invited Spielberg to perform concerts and give piano performance master classes and workshops. The three-week tour included performances in the Zhejiang Province at the Hangzhou Grand Theater, [72] the Keqiao Lantian Grand Theatre, [73] the Longquan Grand Theatre, [74] the Xiangshan Theatre, [75] the Changxing Grand Theatre, [76] the Gengsu Theater in Jiangsu, [77] the Puxian Grand Theatre in Fujian Province, [78] and MAO Livehouse in Shanghai. [79]
The importance of music therapy is a recurring theme throughout Spielberg's career. She is a national celebrity artist spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association. [13] [80] [81] As spokesperson, she often conducts seminars and workshops on the transformative power of music in hospitals, schools and community centers while on tour. [80] [81] [82] She has also performed fundraisers for medical and other charities. [52] [83] In 2014 Spielberg gave a talk titled "The Healing Power of Music" at Lancaster, Pennsylvania's inaugural TEDx event. [84]
Spielberg is author of the memoir Naked on the Bench (2013), which Kirkus called a "well-paced musical memoir about the value of perseverance" which avoids sentimentality and balances happy moments with darker content such as being stalked. [85] Spielberg also writes about music therapy in her memoir. [81]
In 2016, Spielberg began teaching at Millersville University as an instructor in the music business technology department, teaching Careers in the Music Business and International Music Business. [86] While on tour, Spielberg often gives master classes and workshops on "Overcoming Performance Anxiety," as well as "Music and Mental Health."
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history. Her success garnered her several titles, including the "Queen of Country Pop". Billboard named her as the leader of the 1990s country-pop crossover stars.
Alicia Augello Cook, known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs when she was the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at the age of 15. After disputes with the label, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Songs in A Minor (2001). Met with critical acclaim and commercial success, the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and won five awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards. It contained the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Fallin'." Her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), was met with continued success, selling eight million units worldwide and spawning the singles "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary". Its release earned an additional four Grammy Awards.
Judith Marjorie Collins is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records, for her social activism, and for the clarity of her voice. Her discography consists of 36 studio albums, nine live albums, numerous compilation albums, four holiday albums, and 21 singles.
Melissa Manchester is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage.
Patti Ann LuPone is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972 she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known for playing bold, resilient women on stage, she has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fame, and has received two Emmy Award nominations.
Amy Irving is a retired American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" for her commanding stage presence, powerful mezzo-soprano, and reputation as one of the most influential stage actors of her generation. Having achieved mainstream success across stage, screen, and music, her accolades include a Tony Award and a Daytime Emmy Award. In 2019, Menzel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Deborah Cox is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before becoming a professional backing vocalist for Celine Dion. In 1994, Cox relocated to the United States and was signed to Arista Records by Clive Davis, releasing her self-titled debut album the following year. Her second studio album, One Wish (1998), was certified platinum in the United States. It was marked by the commercial success of the pop crossover single "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", which would become her most successful entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number two and remaining there for eight consecutive weeks. Cox signed with J Records for her third studio album The Morning After (2002), which saw moderate commercial success.
Joanna Noëlle "JoJo" Levesque is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She began performing in singing competitions and local talent shows as a child. In 2003, record producer Vincent Herbert noticed her after she competed on the television show America's Most Talented Kids and asked her to audition for his record label Blackground Records. After signing with the label, JoJo released her eponymous debut studio album in 2004. It peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over four million copies worldwide to date.
Kristin Dawn Chenoweth is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth was nominated for a second Tony Award for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009.
Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, is an American gospel singer who has garnered 15 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 31 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, 7 NAACP Image Awards, 1 Billboard Music Award along with many other awards and honors to her credit including being one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia. Winans is the best-selling and most awarded female gospel singer of all time, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Music City Walk of Fame.
Beth Hart is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song " from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 5 of the US Adult Contemporary and Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.
Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including two Grammy Awards, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards. In 2012, VH1 named her one of the Top 100 Greatest Women in Music.
Laura Ashley Bell Bundy–Hinkle is an American actress and singer. Her career started as a child, when her mother entered her in beauty pageants, where she would sing as a talent. After recognizing her singing ability, her mother took her to New York City, where she found success as a child actress and model, signing with Ford Modeling Agency in 1986. She was cast as the lead in Ruthless! at age 9 in 1991.
Jacqueline Marie Evancho is an American singer who gained wide recognition at an early age, singing primarily classical crossover covers. Since 2009, she has issued nine albums, a platinum-selling EP and two further EPs; three of her discs debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. She has also presented three solo PBS concert specials.
Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, a Daytime Emmy, and a Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical, produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned him another Tony nomination and another Grammy nomination.
Jennifer Thomas is an American pianist, violinist, composer, performing artist, and recording artist. She was classically trained starting at the age of 5, and began composing in 2003, later releasing her debut album in 2007.
Michele McLaughlin is an American New-age music Billboard charts pianist and composer who has achieved over 1.8 billion music streams. She has released twenty-two albums and seven singles, many of which have received awards, nominations and favourable reviews.
SEAY is an American award-winning New-age music artist and humanitarian who has gained prominence as both a vocalist and composer. She has released multiple recordings, many of which have received awards and nominations. Her 2016 release In the Garden featuring collaborations with Grammy Award winners Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman charted on the Billboard New Age albums chart for five weeks peaking at #3 and won the Zone Music Reporter best vocal album of the year.
Anaya Kunst is a Brazilian composer, musician, recording artist, filmmaker, author, and music producer. Her genre has been described as New Age, Instrumental, and Electronic and she has won numerous awards including Global Music Awards, Clouzine International Music Awards, and was nominated for an Independent Music Award and Hollywood Music in Media Award, among others. As a music video and short film producer and director, she won Best Original Music, Best Director, and Best Women Filmmaker for Dragons Gate at the Critics Choice International Film Festival as well as receiving awards by Beyond the Curve International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Motion Picture Festival, the Swedish International Film Festival, and others.