Rate My Professor Timothy Robert

Timothy Roberts, Professor of Saxophone at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University, serves as Chair of the Instrumental Division and Coordinator for Conservatory in the Community. A native of Richardson, Texas, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, followed by Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Catholic University of America in 2006, where he also directed instrumental ensembles for three years. Roberts retired in 2011 as principal saxophonist and national tour soloist with the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., having performed for five U.S. Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and audiences across all 48 states and internationally from 1987 to 2011. He coordinated the Navy Band's International Saxophone Symposium, which under his leadership became the world's largest saxophone event, featuring artists such as Branford Marsalis and Claude Delangle. His solo performances include acclaimed concerto appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions and European tours, and as one of four international soloists at World Saxophone Congresses in St. Andrews (2012), Bangkok (2009), and Montreal (2000), as well as North American Saxophone Alliance conferences.

Roberts has collaborated commercially with artists including Ray Charles, Bernadette Peters, Gladys Knight, John Williams, and Marvin Hamlisch, and performed at international festivals in Colombia, China, and Australia. Pieces composed for him include John Heins’ Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Ensemble, Wilfred Holcombe’s Blues Concerto for Alto Saxophone, and he advised on John Mackey’s Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Wind Ensemble. He has taught at institutions such as the Paris National Conservatory, Arizona State University, University of Florida, University of South Carolina, and Eastman School of Music. A proponent of music education, Roberts authored over thirty columns for Saxophone Journal, including master classes on developing practice routines, Walter Hartley’s tenor saxophone music, and Dorothy Chang’s Two Preludes, released on compact discs. His military honors include a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two Achievement Medals. He served four years as Secretary of the North American Saxophone Alliance and represents Conn-Selmer, Selmer Paris, D’Addario, and Lomax mouthpieces. Roberts resides in Winchester, Virginia, with his wife and two children.