Robert Cart is an internationally acclaimed flutist whose performances have captivated audiences throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. A Powell Flutes Artist and National Finalist for the American Prize in Instrumental Performance (Professional Division), he has appeared at many of the world’s leading venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, Lincoln Center, the Kimmel Center, the American Cathedral in Paris, and at the Tanglewood, Ravello, Wolf Trap, and Aldeburgh festivals. Cart has performed under the direction of legendary conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Raymond Leppard, and David Zinman.
A dedicated champion of contemporary music, Cart has given numerous world premiere performances and has worked closely with many of today’s leading composers. He premiered Jennifer Higdon’s Nocturne, written for and dedicated to him, and has introduced new works by Gary Schocker, Sergi Casanelles, and more. His premieres have been presented at Carnegie Hall, the American Cathedral in Paris, the Philadelphia Ethical Society, and major national flute conventions. In addition to these solo premieres, he has performed more than forty new chamber and orchestral works.
An active recording artist, Cart’s world-premiere recording of the flute works of Walter Benedict, A Voice Reclaimed, has helped bring renewed attention to the music of a generation of émigré composers displaced by twentieth-century European war. Upcoming releases on Albany, Centaur, and Toccata Classics will feature previously unrecorded works by Jiří Čart, Robert Fürstenthal, Hugo Kauder, and others.
As a recitalist, Cart is recognized for performances that unite virtuosity, vocal expressiveness, and compelling storytelling. Drawing upon his background as both flutist and classical singer, he has become a leading advocate for the application of bel canto principles to flute performance. His articles on flute pedagogy and musical expression have appeared in leading international publications including Pan (Journal of the British Flute Society, Flöte Aktuell, and The Flutist Quarterly.
As a Powell Flutes Artist, Dr. Cart presents clinics and master classes and adjudicates worldwide. His degrees include the Master of Music (Indiana University Jacobs School of Music), and the Doctor of Musical Arts (University of Maryland College Park). His teachers have included Francis Fuge, Peter Lloyd, James Pellerite, and Gary Schocker. Dr. Cart plays a vintage flute made in 1938 by Verne Q. Powell for Joseph LaMonaca, Associate Principal Flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Robert is active as an academic leader, having served as dean of a college of the arts and director of a school of music for 15 years, and as professor of music for over twenty-five years.