Robert Sherman
Career Development Faculty

Robert Sherman Career Development Faculty New York City native Robert Sherman is well-known to radio listeners as the host of The McGraw Hill Companies' Young Artists Showcase on WQXR and Woody's Children (formerly on WQXR and now on WFUV.FM); for 23 years he also presided over WQXR's The Listening Room. He earned a B.A. in sociology from N.Y.U., and an M.A. in music education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Sherman has also been on the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and given career seminars at the Aspen, Bowdoin, and Summit Festivals, as well as at Oberlin, Yale, and Mannes, among others. He has taught the Business of Music course at Juilliard since 1992.

Robert Sherman during the taping of Woody's Children's 35th-anniversary program at Merkin Hall on January 5, 2004. (Photo by Steve Sherman)

When did you first know you wanted to be a musician and how did you come to know it?

I grew up in a musical family, so it was a natural evolution. My mother was Nadia Reisenberg, the distinguished pianist (and for many years, a member of the Juilliard faculty); my aunt, Clara Rockmore, is widely considered the pre-eminent virtuoso of the theremin. I did my homework while mother was teaching, fell asleep to her practicing, and in between enjoyed the many rehearsals and chamber music sessions in our living room.

Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up and what did you learn from that person?

Lucille Collin, my public school teacher (P.S. 9) from grades three through six. She made learning fun, and left me with a pride in accomplishments. She was also a bit like a second mother: setting rules, settling arguments, giving us advice and encouragement, and in general making the classroom a nurturing as well as an educational place.

What was the first recording that you ever bought? What was its significance to you?

George Eskdale's recording of Haydn's Trumpet Concerto (second and third movements) on a 78 r.p.m. disc. I scoured the city for months looking for what was then the only recording, before finding it in an out-of-print record shop, and coughing up some extravagant sum—$8, as I recall—out of my own allowance.

What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as a performer?

Hosting a live broadcast concert at the Metropolitan Opera, and introducing a superstar tenor as "one of the world's great sinners."

If you could have your students visit any place in the world, where would it be, and why?

Probably one of the smaller conservatories in China, where students could witness the extraordinary dedication of young musicians, who seem totally unfazed by the terrible building facilities, poor instruments, and other elements that would probably cause a mutiny in the U.S.

What are your non-music related interests or hobbies?

I dabble in photography, like to travel, and (attempt to) do The New York Times crosswords in ink.

What is your proudest accomplishment in life?

Being responsible for the modern revival of interest in the music of Rebecca Clarke. To mark the composer's 90th birthday, I arranged a two-hour broadcast party on my program on WQXR, persuading Toby Appel and Emanuel Ax to learn Clarke's Viola and Piano Sonata, the American Chamber Trio her Piano Trio, and David Britton several of her songs. These live studio performances marked the first time any of this music had been heard since the 1930s, and subsequent concert performances by these and other artists re-established Clarke as an important musical personality.

What is your favorite thing about New York City?

I suppose the cultural diversity is the most important element—but the real answer is Central Park.

If you weren't in the career you are in, what would you be doing?

Frankly, I'd be trying to figure out how get into the career I'm in.

What book are you reading right now? Or what CD are you listening to?

I'm reading Stradivari's Genius, by Tony Faber, and listening to a golden oldie—Frederic Hand's Jazzantiqua.

What "words of wisdom" can you offer young people entering the field today?

Don't sit around waiting for the phone to ring; be prepared (and learn how) to make things happen for yourself. Another bit of advice to young artists: don't attempt to influence the musical traditions of tomorrow without listening to, and learning from, the earlier great artists who helped forge the musical traditions of today.