Since moving to Chicago, IL in 2005 Rob has been a freelance musician. He is currently the musical director for Menopause the Musical at the Apollo Theater. He's been the national musical superviser for two MTM shows: one at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in Milwaukee, WI and one at Syracuse Stage in Syracuse, NY. In May of 2005 Rob was the musical director for the Landscape Theater Ensemble's production of Alice and Mazeland, an interesting take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Rob has been a regular in the jazz scene as well, playing and recording with different groups. Rob has been seen at the Hot House, Pop for Champagne, Pete Miller’s and the Raw Bar. While keeping this busy schedule, Rob also accompanies choirs at York High Scool in Elmhurst, IL and plays for church on Sundays with a FANTASTIC band at Chicago's Center for Spiritual Living.

Rob was born in Cumberland, Maryland and raised in Romney, West Virginia. He began playing piano at age 6, with instruction in the classical music tradition. Popular music was Rob’s real passion however, and he began playing in a rock band in the sixth grade. Concurrently, Rob continued with his education in the classical tradition studying with Dr. James Miltenberger, and graduated cum laude in piano performance from West Virginia University. He studied classical piano with Christopher Taylor and jazz piano with Dr. Stephen Zegree at Western Michigan University, obtaining his masters degree in piano performance from Western Michigan University.

Rob has kept a pretty busy teaching/clinician schedule in the last five years. He has taught private and class piano at Western Michigan University, private pop/jazz/classical piano at Kalamazoo College, and has been a featured clinician for the Irving S Gilmore Piano Festival Education Department. He has also had a private studio of up to 30 students ranging from beginners to advanced.
Classically speaking, Rob has been a featured soloist with the West Virginia University Orchestra, Western Michigan University Orchestra, and the Mt. Lebanon Percussion Ensemble. He recently was a featured soloist along with Grammy award winning flutist Rhonda Larson, with the Dearborn Symphony. In 1999 Rob toured Belarus and Canada with Rhonda Larson and Ventus.

From 1997-2004 Rob was a member of the pop-funk group Knee Deep Shag, winner of three Detroit music awards and Chicago’s 2001 Independent music award, touring extensively in clubs throughout Michigan and the Midwest. While in Knee Deep Shag he was a prolific song writer and arranger. Knee Deep Shag played with everyone from Collective Soul to the late great John Entwhistle of the Who.
His latest project, Butterfat Trio, won a Jammie Award for jazz album of the year in Grand Rapids, MI for their first release, Under Dog. Butterfat Trio just completed their first month-long tour of jazz clubs and schools. They were seen at places such as the infamous Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, MI and Twin’s Jazz in Washington D.C. While on tour they also stayed busy as clinicians at several high schools.