Robert Owens

1925 - 2017

About

Robert Owens, a native of Denison, Texas, was known as one of the leading names in the late 20th and early 21st century within the genre of African American art song. He gained notoriety as a concert pianist, vocal accompanist, composer, and stage and television director. Learning to play the piano at a young age from his mother, Owens composed his first piano and art songs in his high school years and continued to develop his talent under Genevieve Longrus and Dora O’Neill.

After his time in the military, he continued his education in Europe and studied with various professors such as Jules Genty, Alfred Cortot, and Grete Hinterhofer. Owens briefly came back to America to pursue a teaching position in Georgia. It was during this time that he was introduced to the African American poet Langston Hughes and wrote two song cycles based on his poetry, Silver Rain and Tearless. Once back in Europe, Robert Owens settled in Hamburg, Germany and resumed composing and started acting to support his career. At the end of his life, the composer still considered Hamburg his home, however he occasionally returned to the States as an artist-in-residence at various educational institutions such as University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin.

Related Information

https://artsongalliance.org/composers/robert--owens

Works by Robert Owens