robert slack

Mr. Slack received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Nation’s premier music conservatory. While at Curtis, Mr. Slack studied with Gerald Carlyss, Principal Timpanist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Michael Bookspan, Principal Percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  Mr. Slack received an Orchestral Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in 1989. He also completed several years of doctoral study towards a D.M.A. at S.U.N.Y. at Stony Brook. He also performed and studied with Roland Kohlof, former Principal Timpanist of the New York Philharmonic, at the Waterloo Festival in New Jersey. During high school Mr. Slack attended the Juilliard School of Music Pre- College Division, and studied extensively with New York Philharmonic Principal Percussionist Christopher Lamb at the State University of New York at Purchase. 

Mr. Slack has appeared as soloist with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra under the direction of composer/conductor John Williams in the Williams work Escapades for vibraphone and alto saxophone, and also performed the work at Disneyland with the Chapman University Orchestra. He has also been featured in the Pacific Symphony Orchestra’s American Composers’ Festival with internationally renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma. Additional solo appearances include the Pacific Symphony Family concerts and the New Sousa Band under the direction of Keith Brion at the Ambassador auditorium in Pasadena. He has also been a soloist on the Pacific Symphony Pops series with the jazz vibraphone classic Midnight Sun. As a solo Marimbist, Mr. Slack is known among Musician for his musical interpretations of the Music of J.S. Bach, having performed solo recitals of Bach’s music at Chapman University, Biola University, and at the Orange County High School for the Performing Arts. 

Highly sought after as a teacher, Mr. Slack has had many of his students placed in major music conservatories and universities such as the Juilliard School, Indiana University, U.C.L.A., U.S.C. School of Music, and others. Several of his students have earned positions in professional orchestras. He has held teaching positions at Fullerton College, Santa Ana College, and Chapman University. Currently Mr. Slack maintains a private teaching studio in Orange County and is on the faculty at California State University at Fullerton and Irvine Valley College.Mr Slack has a long tradition of working with notable composers including George Crumb, Richard Danielpour, John Williams, John Adams, Frank Ticheli, Michael Daugherty, William Kraft, Philip Glass, Paul Chihara, Daniel Catan, William Balcolm, and more. Also active as a jazz musician, Mr. Slack heads a Jazz trio "Rob Slack and Friends" which has been a featured group at local venues. Mr. Slack studied Jazz Vibraphone with the L.A. area's leading Jazz Vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, and studied drum set with jazz legend Joe Morello of the Dave Brubek quintet in the 1950’s. Mr. Slack can often be seen "sitting in" at local jazz spots after Pacific Symphony concerts.