Pianist Robert McDonald is an important accompanist, particularly noted for partnering leading violin soloists in recital.

He is a graduate of Lawrence University and studied at the Curtis Institute, the Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music. He counts among his teachers Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Beveridge Webster, and Gary Graffman. He won the Busoni International Piano Competition Gold Medal. Other awards and prizes include the top prizes of the Washington International Competition for Pianists and the University of Maryland International Piano Competition. He also received the National Federation of Music Clubs Artist Award and the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Fellowship.

He has performed at important international festivals. He often plays in chamber music groups, and has guested with the Juilliard, American, Fine Arts, and Orlando String Quartets. He is in great demand as a recital accompanist for pianists and is a frequent partner with Isaac Stern and Midori, and often performs with Young Uck Kim, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and Elmar Oliveira. His compact discs have been released on the Bridge, Vox Cum Laude, Musical Heritage, Stradivari, and CRI labels.

McDonald is on the piano faculty of Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is director of the keyboard program of the Taos, New Mexico, School of Music and Chamber Music Festival. ~ Joseph Stevenson, Rovi