Robert is a Canadian saxophonist currently living in Toronto who is passionate about education, promoting new music, performing in various mixed ensembles, and arts documentation. He shows his passion for music by aiming to create new music for under-composed instrumental ensembles, and by receiving positive student feedback. He performs with the After Hours Big Band, LondON Saxophone Quartet, and other various small chamber groups. As a private educator, he teaches saxophone, flute, clarinet, and theory in person and online.

Robert has had the opportunity to perform throughout North America and Italy including performances in Ontario, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, and at the 2019 and 2016 editions of the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Italy. He was the winner of the 2017-2018 Kansas Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Woodwind competition and the 2017 Wichita State Concerto Competition. With Meadowlark Quartet he won the 2018 and 2017 Wolff-Ilse Bing Chamber Music competitions in Wichita, Kansas, and received alternate in the Kansas MTNA Chamber Music Competition. While working on his masters, he has performed throughout Wichita at the Ulrich Museum of Art, Mark Arts Gallery, the 2017 KNOB New Music Festival at Fisch Haus, with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and at regional and national North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) conferences. He has premiered a number of solo and chamber works for saxophone and electronics at conferences and concert series in Ontario.

At the 2018 Waterloo Regional Contemporary Music Sessions, he met with Elizabeth A. Baker and began a duo (baker-hess.bandcamp.com) expanding the perception of an organic traditional ensemble of saxophone and piano through electronic processing.

He completed his MMus ’18 at Wichita State and BMusEd ’16 with Honors at Western University in Canada where he studied with Geoffrey Deibel and Bobbi Thompson, respectively. Additionally he has studied with Frederick L. Hemke, John Sampen, and Gail Levinsky at the Frederick L. Hemke Saxophone Institute in 2017.

For further information regarding teaching, performances, or arts documentation, contact Robert at roberthessmusic@gmail.com.

Teaching