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ERIC ROBERTSON, A.R.C.T., F.R.C.C.O., studied in Edinburgh, Scotland with William Minay (a pupil of Ralph Vaughan Williams), and with Francis Thomas, whose teacher had been Hans Gal. When Eric immigrated to Canada as a young teenager, he was a scholarship student at the R.C.M.T. with Samuel Dolin and Charles Peaker, and was the first recipient of the IBM Electronic Music Scholarship.
Eric is a Juno and Gemini award-winning film composer who has written scores for dozens of films, including features and TV movies. He also has written music for CBC TV series such as Street Legal, Ken Dryden's Home Game, and Black Harbour, as well as for the BBC/CTV series 'OWL TV', and the award‐winning documentary series, CANADA: A People’s History. Eric has also written extensively for the concert stage, receiving commissions from choirs such as The Elmer Iseler Singers, the Orpheus Choir, and the Amadeus Choir of Toronto, and groups such as the Gryphon Trio, Quartetto Gelato, and NEXUS.
Eric has produced and played on recordings for artists such as Liona Boyd, Moe Koffman, Nana Mouskouri, Roger Whittaker, Christine Duncan’s 50-voice improvising ensemble, The Element Choir, and many others. In 2009, Eric played the organ with the Canadian Brass on their CD, Echo: Glory of Gabrieli, and wrote arrangements and played the organ on their holiday CD, CHRISTMAS TRADITION, which was listed in Billboard’s 2009 top ten list.
As an organist and choir director, Eric has held positions in the Church of Scotland, the Lutheran Church of Canada, and from 1966 to1990 at Humbercrest United Church in Toronto. In 1990, he was appointed co-Music Director and in 1993 Music Director of one of Canada’s largest churches, St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church in Toronto. While at St. Paul’s, Eric played and was curator of the church’s famous Blackstock Memorial Organ and conducted it’s 60-voice choir which he built from an original group of 10 singers. In 2009, Eric joined Toronto’s ‘Churches on the Hill’ when he was appointed Director of Music at Christ Church Deer Park.
Eric is the Artistic Director of the Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation (formerly SPFA), a not-for-profit organization that presents inspirational concerts for the benefit the community. Presentations have included noon hour recital series and concerts featuring international groups such as the Choir of Westminster Abbey, the Kings College Cambridge Choir, the St. John’s College Cambridge Choir, and the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral, as well as Canadian talent such as Colin Fox, Michael Burgess, and Erica Goodman. From 1990 till 2008, Eric and the Foundation were involved in the presentation of the Toronto Star Christmas Concerts, and in December 2009, Eric became Music Director of the CP24/CHUM Christmas Wish Carol Sing, a large annual charity event that raises money for needy children in the Toronto area.
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