Orlando, FL - October 9, 2026
This week marked the start of our month of concerts with our Classical Ensembles kicking off the Platinum Season with a debut in Steinmetz Hall. As we continue the celebration this season, we are excited to continue to look back and hear from FSYO Alumni on their experiences with FSYO and what their life looks like now with the lessons they learned along the way!
This month we are highlighting Robert Hansbrough!
Robert was a percussionist with what was then The Florida Youth Symphony (FYS) from 1973-1975. He performed under Mr. Charles Gottschalk and some of his fondest memories with FYS included performing different repertoire, meeting students from other schools, and traveling to concerts with Mr. Gottschalk.
During his first year in The Florida Youth Symphony, Robert had the opportunity to audition for the Eastern Music Festival summer program and was accepted. It was during that summer that he decided to make music his career and if he had not been a member of FYS he would not have had the opportunity and he could have gone down a very different career path.
"Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is a wonderful opportunity for young musicians to expand their musical experiences and knowledge as a supplement, not a replacement, to their public or private school music programs."
Today, Robert is a retired Professor of Music from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. During his 24 year tenure, he conducted various ensembles including the Faculty Chamber Orchestra. Previous to this position, he was a teacher at Western Kentucky University and also spent 15 years teaching in the Florida public schools. He is currently the conductor of the Empire State Youth Orchestra Wind Orchestra. He received his BA from USF and a Masters and PhD from FSU in Music Education.
BOOK AN ENSEMBLE
PURCHASE TICKETS