Four Childrens Pieces Arranged by Robert Debbaut (2016)

Robert Debbaut has led orchestras and opera companies in the United States as well as in Central and North America, Asia and Europe. Critics have called Robert Debbaut "a world-class conductor" (Salt Lake Tribune) possessing "an incisiveness verging on the dance" (Kansas City Star) and as "a conductor with the force of emotions in his direction." (Prensa Libre Guatemala). As guest conductor, Robert Debbaut has led many orchestras during his thirty-year career, including the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, DePaul Opera Theatre, Filharmonia Sudecka (Poland), Hartford Symphony, International Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Kansas City Symphony, Kharkiv Philharmonic, Prnu Linnaorkester (Estonia), Louisville Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Guatemala, North Bohemian Philharmonic, Great Novgorod Chamber Orchestra, Salt Lake Symphony, Saint Petersburg Classic Orchestra, San Juan Symphony, Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra, Utah Mozart Festival Opera, Utah Opera, Utah Symphony and the Yaroslavl Symphony Orchestra (Russia). Dr. Debbaut is also a composer. Recent performances have included his "Great New City" for string orchestra, "Variations on a Theme of Mozart 'Komm, lieber Mai'" for flute and piano and "Birch Trees," a cycle of four Russian folk songs for SSA Chorus, piano and violin obbligato. Other works include the Mozart variations for violin and piano and viola and piano, "Country Dances" for string orchestra, and several other works for young violinists. Robert Debbaut holds the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Michigan where he was the first American conductor to be Fellow in Conducting. He also has a Masters degree in Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and a Bachelors degree in Music Education from Missouri State University. He was a selected conductor in master classes with Daniel Barenboim, Sidney Harth, Gunther Herbig, Kenneth Kiesler, Mehli Mehta, Zubin Mehta and Michael Tilson Thomas. In addition Robert Debbaut studied at the David Oistrakh Festival in Estonia (Prize and Diploma), the International Conducting Workshop in Prague, the Oregon Bach Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center where he was the first recipient of the Maurice Abravanel Award. His teachers and mentors include Neeme Jrvi, Gustav Meier, Helmuth Rilling and the late Maurice Abravanel.