rjphanord

About Robert Phanord

Only a boy and barely able to speak, Robert Phanord began his life as a performer in family of dynamic talent. His Mother, Olletta Cheatham, a world-class soprano, started him, like many others, singing in local churches. All of his earliest influences stem from his own family. His aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents, sisters and great grandparents, all are forceful artists in their own rite. Robert’s Great uncle, C. L. Brooks, having organized his church’s hymnal, was one of the most influential musicians in his church’s world denomination, and his grandmother, Ollie Mae Cheatham, one of the church’s choral directors. In the beginning music and performance were simply a way of belonging to the family, but as years turned into age, Robert quickly developed a passion for this family legacy. He picked up his first drum as age 6 and developed a sense of rhythm. At age 7, he first studied piano, sparking his sense of musicality. As he grew, so did his relationships with the musicians around them, and as they noticed his ability, they gave him opportunity to shape his craft. Conductors from Richmond to Baltimore began using Robert to fill in their performances both in the orchestra and the choir. In high school, Robert routinely filled in on the timpani, cello, clarinet, trumpet and sax. Along the way, Robert found himself accepting parts in plays at school and other venues. Not really interested in acting, Robert took these roles simply because no one else could. It wasn’t long before this taste for theatre would spark a fire for it. By now, his natural ability had begun to shine. At age 17, he won the opportunity to tour Australia as the guest of Charles Bingham, a noted conductor in the Washington area, and when he graduated he was awarded a presidential scholarship to study near Boston. In college he worked as assistant director to the head of choral activates. He planned and worked on dozens of tours, both local and international as well as nearly 20 major performances including works such as Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Handle’s Messiah, many of which he not only trained the choir for but also served as Bass/Baritone soloist. At age 19, Robert got his first chance to tour as a conductor when the director of his College’s holiday tour collapsed during a performance of Messiah in D.C. At the last minute Robert was asked to lead a choir of 50 and a small instrumental group on a tour of the Los Angeles area. It was then that his musical study took a great leap forward. For the first time he would study his craft learning theory, composition, music history and studying with Grammy award winner Faith Eshem in her studio. Not to ignore his growing love for the stage, Robert auditioned for and won lead roles in many plays including Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Edmund in Shakespeare’s King Lear, and Walter Younger in Loraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, a project that would also give him his first experience as director. Robert has also had the opportunity to act as a part of several films. Lately, Robert has performed shows of his own pen. Written for the concert seasons, Robert’s shows have featured his Pro Arts International Choir of nearly 50 voices, his orchestra of 30, and group of actors that he calls on for such occasions. Over these few years, Robert’s experiences have given him a great hold over music ranging from Jazz to Opera. Now, eager to be a part of a tradition of art, he is poised to use his talent and skill to forge a career for himself in the field that he has grown not only to love but to admire as well.

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