Biography
Composer, songwriter, and storyteller Rob Bowden writes with intensity and passion, always eager to explore and expand the possibilities of sound and music. From stories of dinner party disasters and castles under siege to music written with artificial flavorings and octopi in mind, Rob’s music takes inspiration from the world around us and all it has to offer, transforming everyday thoughts into sonic art.
Deriving inspiration from blues, progressive rock, and modern classical music, Rob’s compositional voice presents itself in many different idioms, combining distinct features of his favorite styles in order to create endless sonic possibilities. Always seeking to challenge performers, modern music, and himself as a composer, Rob often makes use of polyrhythms and odd meters, non-functional harmonies, and programmatic narratives in his creative work.
Born in 2000 and based in Athens, Georgia, Rob’s ear for music first developed in utero, as his mother would play Mozart through headphones placed on her stomach. This early exposure to classical music led Rob to refrain from banging on his family’s heirloom piano as a toddler in favor of playing melodies, despite having no formal training. Some of his earliest memories include fear of the black keys of the piano, since he was unsure how to incorporate accidentals in his diatonic, white-keys-only musical vocabulary.
Rob’s musical journey officially began at age twelve. On his dad's old electric guitar, he casually taught himself the basics using interactive learning software Rocksmith. The concept is quite similar to Guitar Hero: notes approach on the screen in time to popular songs; the only difference is that instead of the controller being a plastic, mockup instrument, it's a real guitar. This newfound passion for playing guitar naturally led Rob to write countless songs throughout his adolescence.
In what would become a pivotal three years of his early life, Rob’s formal music education began with an invitation to join his high school's marching band, playing guitar in the front ensemble. A passion to learn more about music in the classroom led him to join the symphonic band as a percussionist, and promising leadership skills on the field led him to the drum major podium during his senior year of high school. Leading rehearsals, conducting shows, and arranging music for his band family inspired within him the desire to pursue teaching music as a career.
As an involved member of the University of Georgia’s Student Composers Association, Rob worked with ensemble vim during their 2021 residency, culminating in his chamber music debut “Excuse Me!” for flute, cello, and piano. This work was selected by the Society of Composers Incorporated for their Region IV Mixtape in 2021 and was performed multiple times for live audiences in the same year.
Rob plans to continue his education post-graduation in hopes of teaching composition and music theory at the collegiate level. Through hard work and sensitivity to the art of music-making, he plans to give back to his family, colleagues, teachers, and the world all the wonderful, creative gifts that they have given him. Rob currently studies composition under Dr. Emily Koh and percussion under Timothy K. Adams Jr. and Kimberly Toscano-Adams, whom have provided invaluable feedback and support throughout his collegiate musical experience.