Robert E. Foster
Biography
Robert Estill Foster (b. 21 January 1939, Raymondville, Texas) is an American conductor, educator, arranger and composer.
Mr. Foster received a bachelor's degree at the University of Texas in 1962 and a master's degree at the University of Houston in 1964. He began his teaching career in the public schools of Texas, and then spent seven years at the University of Florida (1964-1971), where he was assistant director of bands and professor of trumpet. He moved to the University of Kansas, where he was chairman of the Music and Dance Department and Director of Bands from 1971-2002. At the beginning of the fall 2002 semester, he returned to the classroom, ending a 31-year career as head of the university’s band program.
Mr. Foster's compositions and arrangements number over 100, and he is also the author of several textbooks and numerous articles for music journals. Currently, he serves as an educational consultant with Wingert-Jones Music in Kansas City, Missouri. As a trumpet performer, he has been associated with several professional bands, orchestras, and ensembles. He is also active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, composer, and arranger, and also is the educational consultant for Wingert-Jones Music.
Foster has been the recipient of various honors and was elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 1975 and to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1975. Robert Foster served as president of both the National Band Association and the American Bandmasters Association in 1994. In 1988, he was selected as one of the ten most outstanding music educators in America by the School Musician magazine.
Among the other music organizations with which he is affiliated are the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the Kansas Bandmasters Association, the John Philip Sousa Foundation, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha, and Kappa Kappa Psi. He has served as an officer in several of these organizations. Currently, Foster is Vice-President of the John Philip Sousa Foundation. He has served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Bandmasters Association, and the National Band Association, and as President of the Southwest Division of the College Band Directors National Association and of the Big 12 Conference Band Directors Association. He has been on the board of directors for CBDNA, ABA, NBA, the John Philip Sousa Foundation, and the Kansas Bandmasters Association. He also was selected as Bandmaster of the Year by KBA. School Musician magazine selected as one of the ten music educators to be honored, and he was awarded the Higher Education Service Award by the students of the University of Kansas in 1975. Foster is a member of the advisory board of the Instrumentalist magazine, and has served a six-year tenure as band advisor for the MENC Advisor Column in their magazine, Teaching Music.
Works for Winds
- 136th U.S.A. Field Artillery (as editor) (1918/2012)
- Agüero (as editor) (1925/1999)
- An American Hymn (1991)
- American Variants
- Americanarama (2005)
- Americans We (as editor) (1929/2011)
- Ancient Irish Hymn (1996)
- Arcadian Jubilee (1992)
- Ave Verum (as arranger) (1791/2005)
- Bach's Toccata and Minuet (as arranger) (2005)
- Beethoven for Band (as arranger) (2000)
- Benediction Chorale (1994)
- The Big Circus March (1998)
- The Black Mask (as editor) (1914/2015)
- Bonnie Annie Laurie (as arranger) (1883/2014)
- Bonnie Doon (as arranger)
- Boom Boom Pop
- Botany Bay (as arranger) (1995)
- Bravo! (2003)
- Broadway Salute (as arranger) (1972)
- Brontosaurus Rock (2010)
- Bugle Boy March
- Capriccio (as arranger) (1765/1994)
- Cascades (2007)
- Cedar Crest Overture (1985)
- Celebrate America
- Celebration for a New Era (1997)
- Ceremony and Celebration (1987)
- Christmas Concert Finale (2008)
- The Circus Bee (as arranger) (1935/2003)
- Creepy Classics for Band (as arranger) (2009)
- The Crosley March (as arranger)
- Dance of the Comedians (as arranger) (/1994)
- El Gato Salvaje (2005)
- Elegy for Selena (1996)
- Emmanuel Variants (1989)
- Esprit de Corps (as editor) (1878/2011)
- Esprit March (1986)
- Fantasia on a Hymn by Praetorius (1984)
- Fantasy on a Welsh Folksong (198-)
- The Footlifter March (as arranger) (1935/2003)
- Fun Time Blues March (1996)
- The Gladiator March (as editor) (1997)
- Goin' Home (as arranger) (2005)
- Golden Friendships (as editor)
- Good Time Chromatic Blues (2001)
- Grandioso March (as editor) (2013)
- The Great American March
- Greensleeves Variants (2007)
- Hallelujah Chorus (as arranger) (1741/1995)
- Halloween Waltz in Five (2002)
- Heroic March
- The High School Cadets (as arranger) (2005)
- Highland Overture (2004)
- His Honor March (as arranger)
- I Heard the Bells (2007)
- If You're Happy (as arranger) (2003)
- Irish Fantasy (1999)
- A Joyous Holiday
- Kinder Legende (as arranger) (1848/2005)
- The Klaxon (as arranger) (1930/2014)
- La Tregenda (as editor) (1883/1996)
- Lafourche Paris Overture (1997)
- Lassus Trombone (as editor)
- Latin Magic
- Lawrence Sesquicentennial March (2004)
- Light Cavalry Overture (as editor) (2020)
- Lightning Fingers (as arranger) (1930/2012)
- March of the Scots Guards (1990)
- Masterpiece Fanfare (as arranger) (1992)
- Miami (as editor)
- Men of Ohio (as arranger) (1921/2009)
- Military March (as arranger) (1816/1997)
- Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna (as editor) (1844/2002)
- Music for the King's Feast (as arranger)
- National Emblem March (as arranger) (2014)
- Noble Men (as editor) (2001)
- North-South College All Stars March (as editor)
- Olympic Dreams (2007)
- The Orange Bowl (as editor) (1939/2004)
- Our Own Red, White and Blue (as editor) (1917/2015)
- Overbrook (1984)
- Pachelbel Canon (as arranger) (1993)
- Parade of the Unicorns (1990)
- Peace Variations (1991)
- Pet of the Petticoats March (as arranger) (2010)
- Pomp and Circumstance (as arranger) (1896/1998)
- Predator (2011)
- The President's March (as arranger)
- Resumption March (as arranger) (1879/2013)
- A Review March to the U.S. of A. Armed Forces (as editor) (1942/2013)
- Rhapsody on Spanish Carols (as arranger) (2001)
- Rolling Thunder March (as arranger) (2014)
- The Roosters Lay Eggs in Kansas (as arranger)
- Royal Air Force March Past (as editor) (1998)
- Salute to Kansas (as arranger with Corrie) (1930/1990)
- See Jack Slide! (2002)
- Shenandoah (2012)
- Singapura Medley - Part 1 (as arranger) (2001)
- Singapura Medley - Part 2 (as arranger) (2001)
- Slavic Folk Dances (2000)
- Slipping, Sliding and Trilling
- Sounds of America
- A Sousa Portrait (as arranger) (2004)
- Squeaky Shoe Strut (2009)
- Stars and Stripes for Christmas (2003)
- A Sussex Carol (as arranger)
- Teddy Trombone (as arranger)
- Tenth Regiment March (as editor) (1895/200-)
- Tradition of Excellence (1992)
- The Triton (as arranger) (1879/1892/2009)
- The U.S. of A. Armed Forces (as editor). See: A Review March to the U.S. of A. Armed Forces
- The Vanguard March (2000)
- Valley Brook (1987)
- Variations on a Chinese Folksong
- Variations on a Legend (1986)
- The Volunteers (as editor) (1918/2008)
- The Walking Frog (as arranger) (1919/1993)
- Warriors of Sparta (2008)
- What's on the Housetop? (2010)
- With Joy Our Song Shall Soar (
- With Pleasure (as editor) (1912/2006)
- Wolverine March (as editor) (2012)
Resources
- Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Robert E. Foster." Accessed 26 May 2015.