Robert Cart has served as the founding director of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University where he raised over $7 million in support of scholarships and visiting artists, and led the school to reaccreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music. He spearheaded several creative and dynamic changes, including the creation of the Master of Music in Performance, the International Artists Diploma, the Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies, the Artist Diploma in Woodwind Quintet Studies, and the conception and implementation of Teaching Fellow positions for graduate students.  He implemented a new tuition structure for the Bachelor of Music, the Master of Music, and the Artist Diploma programs, where students pay the equivalent of in-state tuition regardless of origin.  He also implemented the Graduate String Quartet Residency Program which offers the Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies, and the Graduate Woodwind Quintet Residency Program which offers the Artist Diploma in Woodwind Quintet Studies. In support of the two residency programs, he implemented Cali at Carnegie Hall, a program which presents the resident graduate ensembles in alternating years at Weill Hall, and the International Composers Competition, with the winners’ compositions receiving their world premieres at Carnegie Hall by the resident graduate ensembles.

Dr. Cart created new community outreach initiatives, including collaborations with Jazz House Kids, the Apex Ensemble, Opera New Jersey, the Symphony in C, and the Van Vleck House and Gardens. With the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, he developed Bridge Camp, a summer music experience for high school aged students from low-income areas. In order to provide School of Music students with practical performing experience while also serving the region, he implemented a Gig Service where student musicians are contracted to perform at various regional special events.

As Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Rowan University, he implemented new funding sources, including a new university-wide arts fee for all full-time undergraduate students and a fund-raising campaign that drew $90,000 for the Friends of Marie F. Rader fund, a fund that assists in bringing guest artists to campus.  He secured over $1 million in funding for new Steinway pianos, resulting in All-Steinway School status, and $3 million to renovate campus performing arts spaces. He implemented new curricula, including the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in Dance, the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in Musical Theatre, the Bachelor of Arts in Music with a liberal arts track, and the Master of Arts in Arts Administration. In 2007, he created the Rowan Community Music School, a pre-college program that is now a thriving community music school that brings approximately 500 members of rural southern New Jersey to the campus of Rowan University. Dr. Cart spearheaded and implemented the Glassboro Academy, New Jersey’s first high school/college collaboration that allows high school students to take college courses for dual credit on the campus of Rowan University.

Founding Managerial Director and Professor of Music

John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University - Director (2011 – 2019), Professor (2011-present; tenured 2013)

NEW CURRICULUM

• Master of Music in Performance

• International Artists Diploma

• Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies

• Artist Diploma in Woodwind Quintet Studies

FUND RAISING & FINANCES

• Raised donations totaling over $8 million in support of scholarships and visiting artists

• Managed $8 million annual budget

NEW INITIATIVES

• Graduate String Quartet Residency Program

• Graduate Woodwind Quintet Residency Program

• Conceived, developed, and implemented new tuition structure for Bachelor of Music and Master of Music students to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition regardless of origin

• Conceived, developed, and implemented Teaching Fellow positions for graduate music students, providing practical teaching experience while fulfilling School of Music adjunct instructor needs.

• Summer Bridge Camp providing summer musical training and classes to high school aged student from underserved populations

• Cali at Carnegie Hall presenting the resident Graduate String Quartet and Woodwind Quintet in alternate years at Weill Hall

• International Composers Competition (string quartet/woodwind quintet), with the winners’ compositions receiving their world premieres at Carnegie Hall (See Cali at Carnegie Hall.)

• Community outreach initiatives with Jazz House Kids, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Apex Orchestra, Symphony in C, Opera New Jersey, and the Van Vleck House and Gardens

• Bridge Camp - a collaboration with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to provide a summer music experience for high school aged students from low-income areas.

• Conceived, developed, and implemented Gig Service for School of Music students

Dean and Associate Professor of Music

College of Fine and Performing Arts, Rowan University (2007 –2011; tenured 2008)

NEW CURRICULUM

• Bachelor of Arts in Theatre ( Dance)

• Bachelor of Arts in Theatre (Musical Theater)

• Bachelor of Arts in Music (Liberal Arts)

• Master of Arts in Arts Administration

FUND RAISING & FINANCES

• Raised donations totaling over $6 million in support of scholarships, Steinway pianos, and the Marie Rader Performing Arts Series

• Managed $9 million annual budget

NEW INITIATIVES

• Graduate String Quartet Residency Program

• Graduate Woodwind Quintet Residency Program

• Conceived, developed, and implemented new tuition structure for Bachelor of Music and Master of Music students to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition regardless of origin

• Conceived, developed, and implemented Teaching Fellow positions for graduate music students, providing practical teaching experience while fulfilling School of Music adjunct instructor needs.

• Summer Bridge Camp providing summer musical training and classes to high school aged student from underserved populations

• Cali at Carnegie Hall presenting the resident Graduate String Quartet and Woodwind Quintet in alternate years at Weill Hall

• International Composers Competition (string quartet/woodwind quintet), with the winners’ compositions receiving their world premieres at Carnegie Hall (See Cali at Carnegie Hall.)

Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Music

College of Fine and Performing Arts, Rowan University (2006 –2007)

Chair and Associate Professor of Music

Department of Music and Theatre Arts, Shippensburg University (2002-2006; tenured 2005)

I value the diverse tapestry of gender, race, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, and economic background that encompasses society.  I manage my flute studio and my classroom teaching with the understanding that all students benefit from the rich experiences that arise from diverse backgrounds.  Each student has a unique way of viewing and addressing contrasts, and of creating, interpreting, and choosing.  Each of these unique approaches adds to the infinite reservoir of resources that benefit all of my students and me. 

For over twenty years, I have taught applied flute and various other courses ranging from graduate chamber music to undergraduate general education. My private flute students have won competitions, including Emmanuel Pahud Masterclass Competition (OSESP), Eduardo Tagliatti Chamber Music Competition, Young Soloists Competition of the Eleazar de Carvalho Music Festival, Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair Masterclass Competition, and the SphinxConnect Fellowship.  They have won positions with professional ensembles, including Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, Fiddler on the Roof, National Touring Company (2022), New England Symphonic Ensemble, U.S Air force Band (Washington, DC), Central City Opera, and my high school aged students have been accepted into the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and regional and state bands and orchestras.  Many of these students have been accepted into top music programs nationwide for advanced degree studies in music, including Carnegie Mellon University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory, Northwestern University, the Peabody Conservatory, SUNY Stonybrook, and Vanderbilt University.

• Professor of Music, 2011-present (tenured 2013)

John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University

• Associate Professor of Music, 2006-2011 (tenured 2005)

Department of Music, Rowan University University

• Associate Professor of Music, 2000-2006 (tenured 2005)

Department of Music and Theatre Arts, Shippensburg University

Education

Degrees

• Doctor of Musical Arts (University of Maryland College Park)

• Master of Music (Indiana University, Bloomington)

• Bachelor of Music (DePauw University)

Flute Instruction

• Gary Schocker (New York)

• Peter Lloyd (London Symphony Orchestra & Indiana University)

• Francis Fuge (Louisville Orchestra)

Master Classes and Additional Studies

• Alberto Almarza (Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago & Carnegie Mellon University)

• Jeffrey Khaner (Philadelphia Orchestra, Curtis, Juilliard, & Lynn Conservatory)

• Michael Parloff (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Manhattan School of Music)

Hailed by the Baltimore Sun as “performing with a thrilling abandon,” Robert Cart is flutist with Philadelphia’s Network for New Music. He is an international soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player who has toured as soloist throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He has performed at the Tanglewood, Ravello, and Aldeburgh festivals, and as solo recitalist at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. An advocate for new music, he has premiered more than 50 solo, chamber, and orchestral works by Jennifer Higdon, Gary Schocker, and others, at Carnegie Hall, The American Cathedral (Paris), the Philadelphia Ethical Society, and will soon be heard on the Albany and Centaur labels in premiere recording of works by Eugène Ysaÿe, Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson, Danbiel Dorff, and David Loeb. As a chamber musician, he is the founding flutist of the Marrazza-Cart Duo, a flute and piano duo, Éxi Chéria, a flute viola, and cello trio, and PhillyQ, a woodwind quartet. Each summer, Robert serves as a faculty member at the Atlantic Music Festival, where he is also flutist and coordinator of the Contemporary Music Ensemble. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Marcel Moyse Society and as a member of the New Music Advisory Committee of the National Flute Association. As a Powell Flutes Artist, Dr. Cart presents clinics and master classes worldwide. His degrees include the Bachelor of Music (DePauw University), the Master of Music (Indiana University), and the Doctor of Musical Arts (University of Maryland College Park). His teachers have included Francis Fuge, Peter Lloyd, James Pellerite, and Gary Schocker, and he has taken additional studies and master classes with Alberto Almarza, Jeffrey Khaner, and Michael Parloff. Dr. Cart plays a vintage flute made in 1938 by Verne Q. Powell for Joseph LaMonaca, Associate Principal Flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Orchestral Positions

• Network for New Music (Philadelphia, PA) - flute/piccolo

• Contemporary Music Ensemble (Atlantic Music Festival) - faculty flutist/coordinator

• The Orchestra Society of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) - principal flute

Chamber Music

• Éxi Chéria (flute, viola, cello) – flute/piccolo

• Montclair Chamber Orchestra – flute/piccolo

• PhillyQ (woodwind quartet) – flute/piccolo

Solo Performances

• Carnegie Hall (New York)

• The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC)

• The Philips Collection (Washington, DC)

• The Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, PA)

• The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA)

World Premiere Performances (solo)

• New work flute, viola, cello trio for Éxi Chiéria (Zach Gulaboff Davis)

  World premiere of newly commissioned work supported by a generous grant from the Composers Guild of New Jersey (spring 2024, location TBA)

• Nocturne (Jennifer Higdon) – Philadelphia Ethical Society (Philadelphia, PA)

  World premiere of newly transcribed work dedicated to Robert Cart

• Always and Forever (Gary Schocker) - Carnegie Hall (New York) 

  World premiere of newly commissioned work dedicated Jon Robert Cart

• Headstands/Cartwheels (Gary Schocker) - Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention (Reston, VA) 

  World premiere of newly commissioned work dedicated Jon Robert Cart

• Quintet for flute and strings (Sergi Cassanellas) - Atlantic Music Festival

  World premiere of newly transcribed work for Robert Cart

• Quiet, please! (Edgar Girtain IV) - American Cathedral (Paris, France)

  World premiere of newly commissioned work dedicated Robert Cart

World Premiere Recordings

• Nocturne Caprice (Daniel Dorff, Albany Records - coming soon)

• Night Colors (Yushoku) (David Loeb, Albany Records - coming soon)

• Sonata a’la Baroque (Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Albany Records - coming soon)

World Premiere Performances (chamber music)

• The Inexcusable Shock (Daniel Peter Webber)

• Wine and Wigs (Benjamin Howard Abraham)

• On The Train (John Hollywood)

• Quiet (Joseph Daniel Crittenden)

• Three Urban Scene (Ethan Noah Resnik)

• Mountains (Eric Impey)

• Forgetting (Natalie Dolan)

• Encounters with Chinese Hermits (Huan Sun)

• Noir (Davis Luengthada)

• Night Music (Oliver Hecht)

• Concrete to Kaleidoscope (Claire Hu)

• Amplified (Grace Ann (Jung Yoon) Lee)

• Musical Rainbow (Greta Stiegler)

• Solo for flute (Qi Qu)

• Trigonum (Meilung Wu)

• 687 (Jonah Cohen)

• And Then There Was Nothing (Maxwell Gong)

• Dance Suite (Joey O’Neill)

• The Devil and Daniel Webster (Scott Dilbeck)

• Dispersion (Zixuan Chen)

• For Unity (Liam Dietrich)

• Fragments (Gabriel Griswold)

• Gate of Opening (William Hermanowski)

• Giant Redwood Trees (Sammy Strent)

• Immagini Grottesche (Kristian Schembri)

• Invocation of Eternal Voices (Kyle Rivera)

• The Journey of a Snowflake (Tianrun Long)

• Nova (Maddy Grills)

• On the Flipside (Maya Borisov)

• Prog for Pierrot (Hannah Rice)

• psycho-paralysis (Max Eidinoff)

• The Take-Off (Anya Lagman)