Canadian born tenor Robert Stewart is co-founder and conductor of the Exaudi Youth Choir. He began early studies in conducting with Dr Kevin Langford, renowned conductor of the Rotary Boys Choir. Robert was a voice student at Mount Allison University where he studied choral conducting with Carlton Elliot and choral literature with Dr Willis Noble. He received a Master of Music (Opera) from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and is also a graduate of the University of Toronto (Bachelor of Music in Performance; Advanced Certificate in Performance). As an undergraduate he studied orchestral conducting with Dwight Bennett and served as section leader and assistant to Dr Doreen Rao. He has also performed with some of the world’s foremost conductors including: Sir David Willcocks, Sir Philip Ledger, Dr Elmer Iseler, Dr Lydia Adams, Robert Spano, Marc Minkowski and Raymond Leppard.
As a performer Robert has twice been a finalist in the Mietta Song Recital Award and recently appeared in the New Zealand Opera’s production of Carmen. He also performs regularly at St John’s Southgate as part of their Bach cantata series including performances with Bach’s successor, Thomaskantor Christoph Biller. A former Vocal Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center he participated in masterclasses with Pierre Valet, Phyllis Curtin and Ernst Haefliger. While at Tanglewood, he performed Bach’s Selig ist der Mann with American Bach scholar Craig Smith and members of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. Recent concerts have included appearances on ABC Classic FM, the Ruskin Hall Recital Series and the Melbourne Chorale.
Robert teaches at the University High School where he conducts the Cantabile and Chamber Choirs. He has served as choral conductor, voice teacher and French diction tutor at Monash University, the Melba Conservatorium and the Victorian College of the Arts. He also Robert is currently completing a Master of Teaching degree at the University of Melbourne- investigating boys’ participation in classroom singing programmes.