Georgia State University
Director of Bands

Biographical Statement

Robert J. Ambrose enjoys a diverse career as a dynamic and engaging musician. His interests cross many genres and can be seen in the wide range of professional activities he pursues. Dr. Ambrose studied formally at Boston College, Boston University, and Northwestern University, where he received the Doctor of Music degree in conducting. Dr. Ambrose currently serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Georgia State University, a research institution of over 53,000 students located in Atlanta.

Dr. Ambrose is in constant demand as a guest conductor and has performed on four continents. Recent engagements include performances in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan as well as across the United States. In 2016, Dr. Ambrose was invited to spend ten days on tour as a guest conductor with the United States Army Field Band. This engagement led to the formation of the National Chamber Winds, a professional wind dectet based in Washington, D.C. for which he is Founder and Music Director. The National Chamber Winds have performed widely including at the 2022 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

Ambrose is also the Founder and Music Director of the Atlanta Chamber Winds and Ensemble ATL, professional ensembles comprising musicians from the Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera, and Atlanta Ballet Orchestras. The Atlanta Chamber Winds have released two recordings on the Albany Records label and have received strong reviews in the American Record Guide and Fanfare Magazine. Previously, Ambrose served as the Music Director of the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble (MAYWE), a highly-select high school honor ensemble that comprised musicians from the greater Atlanta area. During his nine-year tenure as Music Director, nearly 1000 high school students participated in the MAYWE program, and the ensemble accepted invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall on two occasions.

Dr. Ambrose has strong ties to the Finnish music community. He is frequently engaged in that country as a guest conductor, teacher, master clinician, and lecturer. Recent guest conducting appearances include the Finnish Navy Band (3 times), the Helsinki Police Band (3 times), the STM Summer Music Festival Wind Orchestra, the Rauma Wind Band, and the youth wind bands of Kokkola, Kotka, and Rauma. He has given professional presentations and taught conducting workshops throughout the country and has served as a guest lecturer at the Central Ostrobothnian Conservatory and the Sibelius Academy (3 times).

Ambrose is a prolific arranger with nearly two dozen publications to his credit. His transcriptions and editions are published in the United States by Hal Leonard, Presser Music, Manhattan Beach Music, Murphy Music Press, and C. Alan Publications, and in Finland by Fennica Gehrman, Blosari Editions, and Edition Tilli. His transcriptions appear on several state lists and have been performed around the world.

Involvement with CBDNA

Since his tenure as a university band director began in 2001, Ambrose has been heavily involved in CBDNA as a performer and presenter, and in service to the organization. Dr. Ambrose performed with the Georgia State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble at the 2004, 2006, and 2018 Southern Division Conferences presenting four CBDNA and two world premieres. Ambrose gave invited presentations at the 2008 and 2010 Southern Division Regional Conferences and at the 2020 Virtual Athletic Band Symposium.

Ambrose served as a member of the Music Education Committee from 2009 to 2011 and the Diversity Committee from 2009 to 2016. He served as Georgia State Chair for 15 years from 2006 to 2021, and Southern Division President Elect from 2021 to 2023. He is currently serving as Southern Division President.

Dr. Ambrose’s CBDNA-related service activities were especially significant during the pandemic. In April 2020, he was appointed Chair of the CBDNA COVID-19 Response Committee by CBDNA President Mark Spede. He was tasked with forming a twelve-member committee and served as the primary author of the CBDNA COVID-19 Response Report. This document was completed within six weeks of the initial shutdown and was the first of its kind to be released in response to the pandemic. It served as a blueprint for how bands could continue to function during COVID and was downloaded over 70,000 times between May 2020 and May 2021.

In May 2020, Ambrose created and spearheaded the North American Band Survey, a ten-year joint initiative between the American Bandmasters Association, The National Band Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and the National Federation for State High School Associations for the creation and release of a survey to determine curricular plans and models during COVID and beyond. Ambrose formed a ten-member committee that created and released a survey to band directors throughout North America. Over 2300 directors responded making this the most comprehensive band survey in history. The survey has been widely recognized as an important document for band directors during the pandemic. The survey was referenced in a New York Times article about how band programs are coping with the COVID crisis.

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

CBDNA is a robust organization that has had a tremendous impact on the band profession for many decades. Through targeted initiatives, advocacy efforts, commissioning, and special projects, CBDNA has served as a leader in the wind band community and to the larger band profession.

Creating a vision statement for a complex organization like CBDNA is challenging. The organization currently boasts many initiatives, the effects of which are far-reaching. And much work will continue to be done during President Votta’s term. Nevertheless, I have created a vision centered around a set of four goals that I believe are attainable.

GOAL # 1 – Continue to be at the forefront of issues of concern to our future

CBDNA is an advocacy organization with a powerful voice. We need to continue to be proactive in addressing issues that threaten our future. These include: (1) increased pressure at many institutions to decrease large ensemble rehearsal time or required participation; (2) declining enrollments in higher education and the “demographic cliff”; (3) band student and band director attrition; and (4) the recent challenges impacting our athletic band programs including reduced funding for bowl travel at many institutions, the new football bowl model, and strong anecdotal evidence of decreased playing time with basketball bands.

I will continue to develop strong partnerships with the National Band Association, the National Federation for State High School Associations, the National Association for Music Education, the College Music Society, and the state music education associations.

GOAL # 2 – Codify the state chair duties and empower them to serve as state level advocates

In my positions as CBDNA Georgia State Chair for 15 years and Southern Division President for the past 15 months, I have observed a state chair system that has much opportunity for improvement. Over the past several months the eleven Southern Division state chairs and I worked to create a common set of duties for all state chairs in our division while documenting the state-specific duties for each of our chairs. As President I will work to expand this regional effort to the national level. Furthermore, I will work with the state chairs to design and implement a plan to connect with our secondary school colleagues to improve band student and band director attrition.

GOAL # 3 – Continue to become a more inclusive organization

Our organization is its strongest when it serves as a space for all. In recent years CBDNA has made laudable efforts to be a more inclusive organization. I aim to continue that in three ways. First, I will work to increase membership among underrepresented populations. Second, I will create more agency and opportunities for small college directors who comprise much of our membership. Third, I will endeavor to find more ways to include our members who teach courses outside of the large ensemble including applied and group conducting and music education courses.

GOAL # 4 – To create more service opportunities and more agency for our members

One of many things I have learned during my tenure as CBDNA Southern Division President is that there are considerably more members who are interested in serving than opportunities to serve. I will endeavor to create more service opportunities by (1) increasing the size of our standing committees, (2) creating ad hoc committees to address pressing matters that fall outside of our established committee structure, (3) codifying the role of division secretary-treasurer which is articulated in our bylaws, and (4) encouraging the rotation of state chairs during the change of national president in states where this is possible. To provide members with opportunities to be heard, I will offer bi-monthly “Coffee with the President” Zoom listening sessions as well as informal “drop in and chat” sessions at each regional conference.

The new CBDNA Vision statement identifies our organization as a community of artists, leaders, and educators. My goals for this organization mirror those values. It is with great respect that I submit my materials for CBDNA National President consideration.