Background
Manno, Robert was born on July 27, 1944 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of John B. and Isabel S. Manno.
Manno, Robert was born on July 27, 1944 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of John B. and Isabel S. Manno.
After early instruction in piano and violin, Manno had a brief career as a jazz pianist in Philadelphia, then studied voice with Dolores Ferraro and composition with Romeo Cascarino.
The Atlanta Audio Society has called him "a composer of serious music of considerable depth and spiritual beauty." Ned Rorem has described his music as “maximally personal and expressive” and Fanfare Magazine has said: "his instrumental compositions are shot through with powerful lyrical impulses..Manno’s music, in whatever guise, always sings."
He moved to New York in 1965 studying jazz piano with John Mehegan and Steve Kuhn and voice with Cornelius Reid. He later continued his composition studies at the 28th Annual Composers Conference in Johnson, Vermont with Donald Erb and Mario Davidovsky. His music has been performed throughout the United States, Italy and Wales, United Kingdom and has been broadcast on American Public Media’s "Performance Today".
He holds a degree in voice from the Manhattan School of Music and an Master of Arts in music composition from New York University.
After leaving the MET Chorus, he served as an assistant conductor at the MET in 2002 working backstage on Rigoletto and Falstaff (with James Levine and Bryn Terfel). He is Music Director and Conductor of the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra and Catskill Mountain Chamber Orchestra.
He was a member of both the MET Chorus (1977-2001) and NYCO Chorus (1967-1977) and appeared as a baritone soloist in recital, chamber music programs, and with the Westchester Symphony and Alvin Ailey Dance Company.
Married Magdalena Golczewski, February 27, 1983. Children: Nina Endler, Thom.