January was a busy month for Robert, packed with 40th birthday celebrations with friends, family, colleagues and fellow musicians.

Rob recently had the privilege of conducting the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra in rehearsal for the first time, as they prepared for their 11 February concert featuring Elgar’s Cello Concerto, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 and Mendelssohn’s Ruy Blas overture.

On Sunday 12 February, the new Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Youth Choir sing Robert’s choral composition Ave verum corpus, under director James Luxton. Written for Prescot Parish Church Choir and first performed by them in Holy Week 2016, this setting of the traditional Latin text forms part of a mass at 7pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt. (Visit the Choral & Vocal Works section to listen to an electronic recording of the work.)

Finally, please join Robert and MD Jill Hyde at St Barnabas’s Church, Liverpool, as they conduct the Phoenix Concert Orchestra in An Evening at the Movies on Saturday 18 March. It starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are £6 on the door.

Pictured: Dinner with Basil, Sybil and Manuel as part of the Faulty Towers Dining Experience was a particular highlight of Rob’s 40th year so far!