Robert Nairn

Rob Nairn was appointed Associate Professor of Double Bass at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in 2017, having previously taught on the faculties of The Juilliard School in New York and Penn State University. He is past president of the International Society of Bassists and hosted the Society’s 2009 Convention at Penn State. Nairn received his Bachelor of Music with distinction from Canberra School of Music and a post-graduate diploma from the Berlin Musikhochschule. His teachers have included Klaus Stoll, Tom Martin, and Max McBride. Nairn has lived and worked in Germany, England, Australia and the USA, performing with numerous ensembles and orchestras throughout the world. He has also played in all seasons of the Australian World Orchestra. A specialist in historical performance, Rob has been principal bassist with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society since 2003. He is also principal bass of the Boston Early Music Festival and Juilliard Baroque. He has commissioned and premiered more than forty new works for solo double bass and chamber groups including concerti by Barry Conyngham and Doug Balliett, and he has given solo recitals in Europe, Scandinavia, China, the United States, and Australia. He can be heard on over 60 commercial recordings.