Rob Connor is a Scottish pianist and composer based in Berlin. 

With influences rooted in classical piano music, a less-is-more minimalism, ambient-style texture and touch of folk melody, Rob Connor’s compositions are bold and exploratory. Beginning with piano lessons aged 8 near his family home on the remote wilds of the west coast of Scotland, his musical career has also taken several forms; classical pianist, guitarist, drummer, film-composer and even for a short time DJing in Berlin’s electronic music scene. Rob’s full-circle as a musician has finally and firmly settled at the piano where his unique style has taken shape, and come to fruition in the form of his debut album for solo piano, ‘glimmers’, recorded in Berlin in late 2023. 

For Rob, the piano has always been a form of meditation, away from the hustle and bustle of the world. Allowing for periods of intense self-reflection, the instrument has deeply informed his musical philosophy, and after years working on the piano music of the classical masters, the instrument has emerged as the perfect medium for his compositions.

For the longest time Rob’s life was soundtracked by classical music. It was indeed encountering the piano music of the old masters that drew him back to the piano. The music of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin and Rachmaninov was and still is an enduring presence. Graduating from his piano studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2013, his devotion and study of this music has never ceased. As a classical pianist Rob has given solo recitals in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. In 2018 he simplified and focused on giving small, more intimate performances from his piano studio in Friedrichshain, in the heart of Berlin. Devoted to introducing and performing the great classical works in a relaxed, informal way, these concerts have since grown a small but devoted following of music lovers around Berlin.

At one certain time, Rob spontaneously started to include improvisations in his performances. These free and exploratory beginnings sparked in him a creativity which has over time produced a music with a unique balance of old and new, straddling a unique gap between modern contemporary instrumental music, sometimes known as ‘post-classical’, and traditional classical music.

A song might be based on a simple undulating rhythmic pattern, a binary harmonic relationship, or, a stripped back 2 or 3 note melody. Often atmospheric or textural in nature, whilst, at the same time, meeting in the middle with a take on the more traditional classical piano piece; his songs present a story-like journey of musical ideas and their development, with differing colours and moods, which come and go, evolving throughout. 

‘I wanted to create music with familiarity, which simultaneously pushes the listener in perhaps slightly unfamiliar directions. The musical ideas swell and build up in a romantic sense, intensifying and then calming. They are journeys, with peaks and troughs, low points and climaxes - employing the full dynamic range and sonorities of the piano.’

His debut album ‘glimmers’ was written, recorded and produced in Berlin in 2023.

glimmers is dedicated to Benjamin.