Robert Lewis Sims (born in Chicago, Illinois) is a lyric

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

who specializes in African-American folk songs and spirituals,known for his rich tone, energetic performances and convincing stage presence. Robert Sims, who was a Gold Medal winner of the American Traditions Competition, gave the first all spiritual and folk song recital at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in 2005. In March 2009, he was invited by

Jessye Norman Jessye Mae Norman (September 15, 1945 – September 30, 2019) was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but did not limit herself to that voice type. A commanding presence on operatic, concert ...

to participate in ''Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy'' at Carnegie Hall. Sims has performed in recital with folk legend

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and s ...

and renowned opera and concert singers

George Shirley George Irving Shirley (born April 18, 1934) is an American operatic tenor, and was the first African-American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Early life Shirley was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and r ...

William Warfield William Caesar Warfield (January 22, 1920 – August 25, 2002) was an American concert bass-baritone, known for his appearances in stage productions, Hollywood films, and television programs. A prominent African American artist during the Civil ...

Simon Estes Simon Estes (born March 2, 1938) is an operatic bass-baritone of African-American descent who had a major international opera career beginning in the 1960s. He has sung at most of the world's major opera houses as well as in front of president ...

, Benjamin Matthews, and Jubilant Sykes. Equally at home with standard operatic literature and classic jazz, Robert has collaborated with the Georgia Guitar Quartet in songs from Bernstein to Bob Dylan. He joined David Baker and Mercedes Ellington for

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

’s ''The Sacred Concerts'' and ''My People'', and in 1997 toured Japan with the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra performing Leonard Bernstein's '' Opening Prayer''. A favorite at Dr. Robert Schuller’s

Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building in Ga ...

in Garden Grove, California, Sims has appeared on several Hour of Power international telecasts. Sims performed with the

Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

on a special broadcast of the choir's long-running ''

Music and the Spoken Word Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all human societies. Definitions of musi ...

'' in January 2011 and January 2019.

Education

Robert Sims is a graduate of

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music school, music conservatory of Oberlin College, a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the ...

, where he studied with Richard Miller,

Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public university, public research university in Binghamton metropolitan area, Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four uni ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, and the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservat ...

. He has also studied at the

Music Academy of the West The Music Academy of the West is a summer classical music training program in Montecito, California, and festival with performances in the County of Santa Barbara. Overview The academy annually enrolls 136 pre-professional musicians in their ...

, Chautauqua Musical Institute, and the Oberlin/Urbania Vocal Institute in Urbania, Italy.

Achievements

Lyric Opera of Chicago Education Award 1982 Friedrich Schorr Opera Award Winner 1993 Founder of Canti Classics Artist Management and Production Company with Everton Swearing and Arthur White 1998 PBS Television Special “He’s Got Spirit” Art Beat Chicago 1998 American Traditions Gold Medal Winner 1999 Founder of Three Generations, (vocal trio) with Benjamin Matthews and William Warfield 1999

References

*www.carnegiehall.org/honor/artists/artistDetail.aspx?art=rsims *www.niu.edu/music/about/bios/rsims.shtml *www.RobertSims.com *www.rilearts.com/detail/5.php?ID=73 *www.singers.com/6569c/Moses-Hogan-Singers/Deep-River/ *www.prleap.com/pr/21228/ *archives.chicagotribune.com/2007/dec/17/news/chi-ovn_1217sacreddec17 *www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-04-04/article/29659?headline=Sims-and-Buchanan-Sing-For-Four-Seasons-Concert-Series {{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Robert Singers from Chicago 1965 births Living people American baritones Binghamton University alumni