The sight of the accompanist performing such an exotic instrument intrigued the young musician and his life long interest with the accordion took flight.
His interest in the integration of the accordion into the chamber music ensemble was encouraged by a Belgian violinist while he studied trumpet as an undergraduate student at Northwestern University.
In addition, he concertized as a staff musician on WGN in Chicago during this time[7] By 1969 Robert Davine's artistry achieved international recognition.
In 1984 he was one of the first academic scholars of music in America who were invited to contribute to the development of a modern program of instruction for the accordion in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Musicians Association and the Ministry of Culture.
[10] He also premiered works for accordion by leading 20th century composers including: Normand Lockwood, Dick Boyell, and Max Di Julio.
[11][2] His research interests included academic studies into the Tango, as well as the compilation of an annotated bibliography of composers and their works for accordion.
[3] Included among Robert Davine's works are several transcriptions of classical music for accordion[1] as well as the following original compositions: Robert Davine's legacy as a recording artist includes several albums produced in Philadelphia as a member of the Montavani Orchestra in the 1950s as well as the following albums:[13][1] Accordion music genres Mantovani Tango