Robert John Shafer, Jr. is a Grammy Award-winning American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 conductor

Conductor

Conductor or conduction may refer to:In science:* Electrical conductor, a material allowing the flow of electric current* Electrical conduction, the movement of charged particles through an electrical conductor...

, classical composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, educator and church musician (pianist, organist). He has served as artistic director of the City Choir of Washington

City Choir of Washington

The City Choir of Washington is a 140-member professional-level volunteer mixed choir composed of singers throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The chorus is led by its founding artistic director Robert Shafer, Washington's Grammy award-winning conductor, educator, composer and church...

 since its launch in September 2007.

Early Life

Shafer was born on January 1, 1946 in Mooresville, N.C., the son of Col. Robert J. Shafer, USAF (Ret). He started studying piano at age 5. Shafer moved with his parents to Germany in 1951, where they were stationed as part of the United States Air Force. His family settled in Vienna, VA in 1954.

Education

Shafer graduated from James Madison High School

James Madison High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)

James Madison High School is a high school located in an unincorporated area of Fairfax County, Virginia, adjacent to the town limits of Vienna, and is part of Fairfax County Public Schools. Oakton High School is James Madison High School's main rival, although other rivals include Langley High...

, in Vienna, Virginia, returning to teach there after college. In college, he majored in piano performance and earned a B.M.

Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...

 and an M.M.

Master of Music

The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...

 from The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...

. Shafer studied music composition and conducting for nine summers with Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...

 at Le Conservatoire Américain

Fontainebleau Schools

The Fontainebleau Schools started in 1921 with the involvement of the United States in the First World War. At the instigation of General Pershing—who wished to improve the quality of US military band music—Walter Damrosch, then conductor of the New York Philharmonic, was asked to organize a...

, France.

Career Highlights

As an educator, Shafer's work at James Madison High School attracted national attention, especially for his conducting a first-rate madrigal group. He remained on the high school faculty from 1968 to 1975. From 1972 to 2007, Shafer was music director of The Washington Chorus, a leading choral ensemble in the U.S. capital. When he served as music director of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, he composed and conducted a setting of Tu es Petrus in honor of Pope John Paul

Pope John Paul

Pope John Paul is the name of two Popes of the Roman Catholic Church:*Pope John Paul I , who named himself in honor of his predecessors, Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul I reigned for only 33 calendar days....

’s October 1979 visit to Washington, D.C. In 1983, Shafer was appointed artist-in-residence and professor of music at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA.

Awards

Shafer won first prize in composition at Le Conservatoire Américain in 1969. In 1989, he was honored by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is the Commonwealth's coordinating body for higher education. SCHEV was established by the Governor and General Assembly in 1956...

 with an Outstanding Faculty Award for his outstanding public service, research, and teaching. In February 2000, Shafer was honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences with a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 for Best Choral Performance for a live-performance recording of Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...

’s War Requiem.

Compositions

Lux Aeterna, Performance Debut: April 2009.

The Mother and the Lamb (anthem), Performance Debut: December 2010.

Recordings

Dvorák: Stabat Mater / Psalm 149. Naxos Classical Music Catalog. Release Date: 09/24/2002.

War Requiem. Composer: Benjamin Britten. Gothic Records. Re-Release Date: 05/10/2005.

Noel: A Musical Feast/A Loft & Gothic sampler. Gothic Records, Release Date: 10/18/2005.

The Very Best Of Dvorák. Naxos Classical Music Catalog, Release Date: 10/31/2006.

External links

• Official Bio - City Choir of Washington Website