Music is the universal language of mankind.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer

I grew up in British Columbia Canada before following my Aussie born parents back to Western Australia when I was 12. I studied piano all through highschool and did a Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1991. After University I taught highschool music for four years before deciding that wasn't for me.

I then decided to pursue a career as a fulltime musician. This involved working as a freelance accompanist, studio teacher, and working as a keyboard player and singer in various types of bands - rock, jazz, salsa, andean etc.

I moved back to Canada in 2001 and began playing in many different bands in the Kingston area and also picked up a lot of work as a pianist/vocalist in the Eastern Ontaro region. I toured the UK with Canadain folk/roos supergroup "Tanglefoot" and will be joining them there again this summer. I am 65% through recording my first solo album which will hopefully be ready in June (available soon at robertgraham.org)

In 2003 I got a job at St Lawrence College in Brockville in the new Music Theatre Diploma Program. This program is fast getting a reputation as one of the best training schools in Canada. My role there is a sort of house pianist, playing for the rehearsals, masterclasses, and performances ( we do two or three musicals per year). I also work with the final year students as a vocal/repertoire coach and teach a final year class called "Pop Musicianship for singers" which is a kind of half theory half practical course which is designed to get the students up to speed on some of the theoretical areas which they might not have got to, what with all the acting singing, and dancing they are doing! Things like transposition, singing harmony, how to interpret their music etc. All set in a pop context.

I think my two biggest passions in life are songwriting and accompanying. Writing a song which I actually like is a thrilling experience, very stimulating. As an accompanist, when I know I am doing my part to showcase someone to the best of their ability (regardless of their ability) it makes me feel good. When you are really "right there" for a singer or instrumentalist it is a wonderful feeling of balance and order, like everthing is right with the world.

I am, like most performers, searching for the ultimate feeling you can get from performance, namely trancendence. A feeling that you are living that moment, free from the everyday concerns that one may have during the course of a normal day. That sort of performance moment doesn't happen every time, but when it does it is akin to flying, Because i play a wide variety of music i love the fact I kind search for, and sometimes find, those moments in any type of music, even my own.

In terms of education, i have always preferred the
" behind the scenes" type of role. Working together with the student as an accompanist or vocal coach, to prepare the students for their career is a role I relish. Watching them progress, and solving problems together is something I really enjoy. Luckily I work with talented and motivated students everyday.