Skip to page content

Rob Fisher

conductor

About this Artist

ROB FISHER is an internationally distinguished artistic director, conductor and pianist, as well as a leading figure in American music and musical theatre. Within the past decade, Fisher has been a guest of virtually every major orchestra in the U.S. as conductor or pianist, making recurring engagements to the orchestras in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Atlanta. In 2007 he led a critically acclaimed revival of My Fair Lady with the New York Philharmonic. Other recent highlights include debuts with the Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras and appearances with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and the Pittsburgh, Baltimore and National symphonies. He conducted The New York Pops on many occasions, and enjoyed sharing concerts with the late Skitch Henderson.In the last few seasons, Fisher conducted Patti LuPone's engagements with the Pacific and Phoenix symphonies and Idina Menzel's with the San Francisco Symphony. Fisher conducted the 2011 world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's Rappahannock County at the Virginia Opera/Virginia Arts Festival. More recently, he reunited with Ms. LuPone with the Atlanta, and Ft. Worth Symphonies, and in the summer of 2012, Fisher made his debut with the Chicago Symphony conducting for Ms. LuPone. Fisher has collaborated in concert with such artists as Kristin Chenoweth, Kelli O'Hara, Victoria Clark, Idina Menzel, the King's Singers, Brian Stokes Mitchell and David Hyde Pierce. As a pianist, Fisher has been soloist for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F with orchestras across the country.He was founding music director and conductor of the Encores! series at New York City Center from its inception in 1994 until 2005. The series earned a 2000 Tony Award, and in 1997, Fisher was given the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Special Achievement. Fisher has made numerous recordings for the series, including the Grammy Award-winning Chicago cast album. He continues to be supervising music director of Chicago productions around the globe. He returned to Encores! as music director of Girl Crazy and No, No Nanette. In 2007, Fisher was music director of the Central Park production of Hair and was music supervisor for its 2008 revival and 2009 move to Broadway. Last season, Fisher served as music supervisor of the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Anything Goes, and in April of 2012, he conducted a one-night gala performance of The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall.Besides Encores!, Fisher has a long association with other New York series. For Lincoln Center’s American Songbook, he served as Producer/Music Director creating tributes to the Gershwins, Bernstein and Cole Porter; the Porter program was then presented at the Ravinia Festival. This season, he will be presenting a program of John Kander songs. Fisher has made nine appearances on the Lyrics & Lyricists series at NY's 92nd Street Y, usually with his friend Sheldon Harnick as host, reuniting this season to celebrate the influence of W.S. Gilbert.Fisher's performances have been televised on many occasions. He was music director and conductor for "Ira at 100," a gala concert at Carnegie Hall which was broadcast on PBS's "Great Performances," and he appeared twice on the PBS series, "In Performance at the White House," for the Clintons. The Emmy-winning concert production of Sweeney Todd, starring Patti LuPone and George Hearn, was music directed by Fisher conducting the San Francisco Symphony.For four seasons, Fisher was music director for Garrison Keillor's American Radio Company and remains a frequent guest on "A Prairie Home Companion."