Robert J. Manners
Robert Manners is an active choral conductor and music educator based in Binghamton, New York. He currently serves as the concert manager for the Binghamton University music department, where he organizes and publicizes semester performances. Robert also works as the general music teacher for St. Mary’s Catholic School in Cortland, New York. He fosters musical growth in students from pre-k to sixth grade and helps them to find their musical voice from and early age.
Robert recently graduated from Binghamton University, having earned a masters of music in Choral Conducting while studying with William Culverhouse. During his studies, Robert was the assistant director of the Chamber Singers, Treble Choir, and Harpur Chorale, founded a Tenor/Bass ensemble, and he directed the Dryden Area Intergeneration Chorus, a community group of singers at every age level and skill set in their Summer concert series. He collaborated with the Momenta String Quartet to premiere “Prunella,” an opera in two acts, by Lief Haley, and with Kelsey Watts, soprano, to perform Jake Heggie’s one act opera, “Another Sunrise.” He also was a conductor and section leader with First Inversion Choir in Rochester, New York.
Before coming to Binghamton, Robert served as Director of Music and Liturgy for St. Marianne Cope Parish in Rochester, NY. As director of five choirs, he organized an annual spring concert celebration, and a winter lessons and carols, bringing in community collaborators and even choirs from other faith denominations.
Robert is a Lyric Baritone and has recently premiered the solo in “Mawlayya” by Shireen Abu-Khader at the National ACDA conference in Cincinnati, sang the role of Monostatos in “Die Zauberflöte” with the Binghamton university Opera department, and performed the Bach Christmas Cantata with the University United Methodist Church of Syracuse. He serves as section leader and substitute director for the United Presbyterian Church in Binghamton, as well as a regular cantor for many local churches. Robert began his conducting studies with André J. Thomas at Florida State University while earning a masters of music in Music Composition. As a composer, Robert is active in arranging and transcribing on many projects, has taken lessons with Ellen Taaffe Zwillich, and also scores for film with director Randy Parker. He holds a Bachelors in Music Theory from Nazareth College of Rochester.
