Fox Cities News

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to perform a composition by University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Professor Marty Robinson on September 20 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton. The concert will feature Robinson's piece "Evensong," with trumpeter Michael Henckel as guest soloist.

"Evensong" was first written in 2008 for a recital at UW-Oshkosh, originally scored for trumpet and saxophone quartet. It was later adapted for performances in Rome, Italy, in 2014 for trumpet and string quartet, before being re-orchestrated recently for full symphony orchestra with trumpet.

Next month, another of Robinson’s works will be performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from October 3-5. This piece was composed for jazz trumpeter Byron Stripling, who has played several of Robinson’s compositions with orchestras such as the Milwaukee Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Robinson is a professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at UW-Oshkosh. He is known throughout the Midwest as a versatile musician—trumpeter and composer of all styles, arranger, bandleader, jazz pianist, clinician and educator.

He holds degrees from Lawrence University (Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance), the Eastman School of Music (Master of Music in jazz studies) and Florida State University (Doctor of Music in composition). Prior to his appointment at UW-Oshkosh in 2004, Robinson served for 10 years as professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he was recognized as Teacher of the Year in 2001.

A commissioned composer across musical spectrums, Robinson’s works have been performed by organizations including the Boston Pops Orchestra, Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Philadelphia Pops Orchestra. Soloists such as Claudio Roditi and Joshua Redman have also performed his music.

Robinson has created compositions and arrangements for wind ensemble, choral ensembles, brass with organ groups and chamber works. His television credits include music used internationally on programs like HBO’s The Sopranos; ABC’s 20/20; Fox’s NFL Films; PBS’s National Geographic; CBS’s U.S. Open Tennis Coverage; as well as advertisements for brands including Hershey’s chocolate and Burger King. In 2023 he was inducted into the Neenah High School Hall of Fame.