He was most particularly associated with the promotion, performance and recording of contemporary classical music, but he also played and conducted the standard repertoire.
[1] He studied at Oberlin College and the Juilliard School in New York, where his teachers included Beveridge Webster, Roger Sessions and David Diamond.
Among the hundreds of works his new music groups premiered were Ralph Shapey's Three for Six, Joseph Schwantner's Music of Amber, Dane Rudhyar's Epic Poem, and works by Elliott Carter, Jacob Druckman, Jean Barraqué and Harrison Birtwistle.
[1] His recordings include: Elliott Carter's In Sleep, in Thunder, Ralph Shapey's Radical Traditionalism,[7] Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with Phyllis Bryn-Julson,[8] Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks Concerto,[4] Tod Machover's Nature's Breath and Towards the Centre,[9] Miriam Gideon's Five Sonnets From Shakespeare and Symphonica brevis[5] Louise Talma's Full Circle, Charles Wuorinen's New York Notes, William Thomas McKinley's Boston Overture, Stephen Jaffe's The Rhythm of the Running Plough,[9] Stephen Dembski's Spectra, Joseph Koykkar's Composite, Maxine Warshauer's Revelation, Mitch Hampton's Three Minute Waltz, Paul Renz's Symphonic Poem,[5] David Macbride's Nocturnos de la ventana[10] and works by Beethoven, Roger Sessions[4] and John Cage.
[13] Robert Black died of melanoma in Palo Alto, California, on November 14, 1993,[14] aged 43, survived by his wife, parents and two siblings.