Robert Stillman is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from the northeast United States. His music juxtaposes the archaic with the futuristic, incorporating influences of Jazz, Minimalism, American Folk music, and experimental electronic music to create a sound described by the Guardian Observer as “lending an avant-garde shimmer to pre-modern American sounds.”

Stillman has released 8 albums of his music, the most recent of which, Rainbow, (Orindal Records) has received praise from Mojo, Aquarium Drunkard, Uncut, and Other Music, and has been played on radio programmes such as Late Junction (BBCR3), Jamie Cullum (BBC2).

He has performed his music at venues and festivals throughout the US and Europe, both as a solo act, and ensembles of various instrumentations. He has supported acts such as Deerhoof, Hauschka, Yo La Tengo, Dirty Projectors, and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone/Advance Base. He has also collaborated with visual artists Mark Garry, Sarah Magenheimer, and the Borbonesa publishing group.

The diversity of Stillman’s music reflects his varied musical life, which started with saxophone lessons in his native Portland, Maine at 11 years old. A move to Boston to study jazz introduced him to formative teachers (George Garzone, Danilo Perez, George Russell), as well as to like-minded colleagues with whom he’d later collaborate, including future members of bands like Glass Ghost, Dirty Projectors, Caveman, and Here We Go Magic. Upon arriving in New York in 2001, this circle of musical colleagues widened to include new collaborators like Luke Temple, Chris and Kurt Weisman, and members of the bands Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, and Hiss Golden Messenger. Since relocating to England, Stillman has worked in bands led by Kit Downes, Tom Skinner, and David Okumu. He is also a member of the collaborative ensemble Bog Bodies, which will create a new work early next year during a residency at PRAH Foundation and Radio Margate both in Margate, Kent funded by a Grant for the Arts from the Arts Council of England.