Celebrated for his “waves of colorful sounds” (New York Times) and “smart, appealing works” (The New Yorker), Robert Honstein (b. 1980) is a New York-based composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and film music.
Ensembles and performers of Robert’s music include the Albany Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique du Mulhouse, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Dal Niente, Mivos Quartet, Del Sol Quartet, Argus Quartet, TIGUE, New Morse Code, Colin Currie, Theo Bleckmann, Doug Perkins, Michael Burritt, Karl Larson, Ashley Bathgate, among others. Interdisciplinary collaborators include choreographer Omar Román De Jesús, photographer Chris McCaw, projection designer Hannash Wasileski, graphic designer Laura Grey, and director Daniel Fish.
His music has also been programmed by numerous dance companies including the National Ballet of Canada (Alysa Pires, choreographer), BalletCollective (Omar Román De Jesús, choreographer), and the Alberta, Cincinnati, and Orlando Ballets. His music has been released by New Focus Records, Soundspells Productions, Cedille Records, and New Amsterdam Records, as well as his independent label Up in the Attic Records. Recent accolades include the 2023 Andrew Imbrie Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters and a 2022 Emmy-nomination for his debut film score The Real Charlie Chaplin.
As an educator Robert has taught composition seminars and workshops around the country, with upcoming residencies at University of Texas, Austin and Hong Kong. He is Program Director of Concert Composition and Composition Faculty at NYU, Steinhardt.
