Robenson Altino attributes his early musical exposure to his father and the example Jean set, playing Mozart sonata every morning without fail. Indeed, it was his father who recognized his talent early and taught him his first piano lessons. By the age of 13, he was already giving solo performances, as well as teaming with Nerva as a Piano duo.

Robenson continued his studies with George Davis, who utilized the Trinity College system to help the young pianist develop a dynamic piano style characterized by strength, agility and finesse. But, it was hearing a performance by Vladimir Horowitz that inspired Robenson to seriously pursue a career in music. He began preparing for a higher degree in music at Queens Borough Community College, under the auspices of Martin Canellakis. He then went on to the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Sheryl Canellakis and was coached by Solomon Mikowsky. There he earned both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Piano Performance.

Robenson made his Lincoln Center debut to great acclaim in 2001, performing Prokofievi’s Concerto No. 3, op. 26 at Alice Tully Hall. He has also appeared alongside his brother at concert halls throughout the United States and was featured on radio stations WQXR and on TV (The Today Show on NBC). Robenson was honored, with a Proclamation Award for Achievements in The Performing Arts in 2004, from the City of New York. And most recently, he was honored with a citation award from the city of Boston. Robenson’s musical influences include the music of Scriabin, Prokofiev, Liszt, and he cites Oriental Fantasy (Islamei) by Mili Balakirev as his signature piece. He has also pursued his interest in performing piano works for the left hand alone, including Raveli’s Concerto for the Left Hand.

On the challenge now facing classical music – how to bring it to more people – Robenson says, “Classical musicians must start thinking like normal people. Think about how classical music can be part of our normal daily lives.” To that he adds that “Bugs Bunny has probably been classical music’s biggest advocate.”

Robenson can be heard on the CD, Entitled No Boundaries, released in April 2005. It is the second full-length CD produced by the Altino Brothers.