photo by Rob Davidson
“Robert Fleitz lists in his biography the usual awards and prizes...there seems very little, though, that is usual about this eclectic pianist... I would hear a Robert Fleitz concert again in a heartbeat and look forward to following his career.” — Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review
Through “mesmerizing” and “commanding” performances (The New York Times), pianist and composer Robert Fleitz is known for curating inventive artistic experiences that are delightful, communicative, and surprising. These range from creatively programmed solo piano recitals to YouTube video essays and experimental theatre performances. He made his “auspicious debut” (New York Concert Review) in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in October 2021. His most recent album, The Silent Voice, was released on the Latvian record label SKANI in November 2024 and includes world-premiere recordings of newly commissioned works by notable composers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He also currently works as a content creator for tonebase Piano’s YouTube page, which has over 225,000 subscribers, producing videos that explore intersections between classical piano, philosophy and culture. His videos have garnered millions of views in total.
Known as an “innovative musical thinker” with a reputation for dynamic performances of both canonic and new repertoire, he has made appearances in 25 U.S. states and 17 countries worldwide, including the Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo); Kyoto Music Festival; BAM’s Next Wave Festival; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Latvian National Library; Commute Festival (Tallinn); the Irish National Concert Hall; Copenhagen's Koncertkirken; Festival SANSUSĪ; Helsinki Music Center; the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts; the Chelsea Music Festival; Le Poisson Rouge; the Aspen Art Museum; and a small cardboard house in a Lower East Side art gallery, among many others.
His recent accolades include top prizes in competitions that celebrate both traditional and avant-garde pianism, such as First Prize in the 2022 John Cage Award in Halberstadt, the Premio “Rosalía de Castro” in the 2022 International Piano Competition of Vigo, the 2021 Pro Musicis International Award, the André Boucourechliev Prize in the 2020 International Piano Competition of Orléans, a 2021 Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation Musicians Grant, and winning the 2022 Festival Sansusī Musician Battle—a unique four-week event in which performers went head-to-head in humor, wit, and musical virtuosity.
As a composer, Robert’s interests include decay, queer boredom, silliness and Catholic iconography. Notable commissions and performances include the Metropolis Ensemble (NYC), Jumblies Theatre Company (Toronto), the Druskomanija Festival (Lithuania), Kompass Ensemble (Germany), Festival Osmose (Belgium), and Hilary Easton Dance Company (NYC). He is actively involved in multidisciplinary projects and can be found in contexts ranging from classical chamber music to DIY performance art. His theatre piece Program Selection, co-created with the artist and composer Stephen Webb, will premiere at Ģertrūdes Ielas Teātris in Fall 2025. He is also the music curator for TUR Telpa in Rīga, organizing concerts that respond directly to the ongoing exhibition. Additionally, he is the co-founder of the Swan City Piano Festival, a multi-day piano concert and education series in his hometown of Lakeland, Florida.
Robert began piano lessons with his father at age 4 and studied at The Juilliard School (BM, MM) and the Latvian Academy of Music (MM), where his principal teachers were Julian Martin, Hung-Kuan Chen, and Juris Žvikovs. Other important mentors include Hilary Easton, Lydia Artymiw, Jocelyn Lai, Ching-Wen Hsiao, and Marie Hasse. He has participated in masterclasses with Leif Ove Andsnes, Julia Mustonen-Dalqvist, Jeremy Denk, Nino Jvania, and others, and he has studied composition with Eric Wubbels, Jānis Petraškevičs, and Simon Frisch. He currently lives in Helsinki, where he is pursuing a Doctorate in Music at the Sibelius Academy, researching musical hybridity and semiotics. He also has training in cello, clowning, Butoh, musical theatre, and physical theatre.
He speaks English, Latvian, Spanish, Portuguese, and, on a good day, German—and is slowly learning Finnish. An avid gamer, he mains Banjo-Kazooie in Smash Bros. Ultimate, drawn to its mix of playfulness and technical precision—qualities that also define his approach to music.