Lectures

All of Robert Wyatt’s Lectures are available in 1 hour, 2 hour, half-day or full-day formats. Archival recordings, personal correspondence, documentary videos and colorful PowerPoint presentations accompany each session. Some topics are available as lecture/recitals, requiring a tuned grand piano.

LECTURE SERIES

Steinway artist Robert Wyatt delights audiences with a rare blend of pianistic savvy and engaging storytelling that makes each performance a creative event. His recitals have garnered sterling reviews nationwide.

With over thirty entertaining musical lectures to choose from, you are certain to discover an appealing selection. Many lectures include rare photographs, archival audio and video recordings, and a live performance. From Jazz to Hollywood, and Classical to Broadway, Robert Wyatt’s lectures are richly informative and fun.

The various lectures are arranged into series, such as Broadway or classical, to help you decide what type of lecture interests you. See the series listed below for lecture options and more details about each lecture.

Musical Lectures
  • All of Robert Wyatt’s Lectures are available in 1 hour, 2 hour, half-day or full-day formats.
  • Archival recordings, personal correspondence, documentary videos and colorful PowerPoint presentations accompany each session.
  • Some topics are available as lecture/recitals, requiring a tuned grand piano.

Featured Lectures Series

Golden Age of Broadway lecture
  • The Ragtime Craze

  • Sinatra and Elvis: Friends or Foes

  • The Enigmatic Life of Frank Sinatra

  • Judy Garland

  • Bluegrass Music

  • Bach is Best!

  • Rodgers and Hart

  • Gershwin, by George!

Golden Age of Broadway Series

Golden Age of Broadway lecture
  • Jerome Kern: the Godfather of American Musical Theatre

  • Rodgers and Hart: Irascible Pioneers

  • An Enchanted Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein

  • Cole Porter: Sophisticate of American Song

  • The Brothers Gershwin

  • Lerner and Loewe

  • Irving Berlin: Last of the Troubadours

Great Composer Series

Golden Age of Broadway lecture
  • Franz Liszt: The First Musical Superstar

  • Sergei Rachmaninoff: Giant of Romanticism

  • Franz Schubert: A Life Devoted to Art

  • Frédéric Chopin: An Intimate Portrait of the Man and His Music

  • Mozart in Vienna

  • Gershwin, by George!

  • Robert Schumann: A Portrait of Pain and Passion

  • Felix Mendelssohn: A Genius of Privilege

  • Richard Wagner: Polarity Personified

Musical Mélange Series

Golden Age of Broadway lecture
  • The Story of Steinway & Sons

  • A Holiday Program of Note

  • Elvis: A Birthday Tribute to the King

  • A Magical Mystery Tour: The Story of The Beatles

  • The Piano: A Magical Machine and Its Music

  • Sweet and Low-Down at the Cotton Club

  • The Art of the Piano Concerto: Four Masterworks

  • Porgy and Bess: A Folk Opera

PIANO STORYTELLING

“I so appreciate your scholarship and all that you put into researching your material, your talent for telling a story and bringing a subject to life, and your overall enthusiasm and passion for music and people. It’s these qualities that you possess that draw people to your programs and that provide the foundation for such a loyal (and growing!) following.”
– Mary McLaughlin, senior programmer
Smithsonian Associates Program