Born in California, Robert Coburn grew up in the hills behind Whittier College. His early sonic experience listening to thousands of crickets cycling minimalist calls in the night with occasional interruptions by coyotes served to focus his awareness on the powerful ambience of the natural world. His compositional activities have been shaped by a strong interest in works created and concepts espoused by a group of artists including Fred Sandback, Callum Innes, Agnes Martin, Anne Truitt, James Turrell, Robert Irwin, Lee Ufan, and Tadao Ando. Their commitment to the power of perceptual experience, simple materials, and emptiness has had a significant impact on his recent compositions. 

Robert Coburn’s creative activities include electronic and acoustic concert music, permanent and temporary sound installations, and music with visual image. His works have been performed across the U.S., and internationally in Japan, China, the UK, and the EU. In 2011 he received a Fulbright Scholar’s Award to live in Japan for a year, composing music for gagaku instruments and collecting field recordings throughout the country. From 1993 to 2019 he was a faculty member of the Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific, where he directed composition and music theory, and established the studio for creative technology. His works can be heard at RobertCoburn.Bandcamp.com.

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