ROBERT BROPHY began his studies at Chetham's School of Music playing violin and taught by Wen Zhou Li. It was here that he moved to viola at the age of 18. He then went on to the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England where he graduated with a BA Mus in 2001. His major teachers include Vicci Wardman and Alan George of the Fitzwilliam Quartet.

Robert has toured with the Verbier Festival Orchestra throughout Europe and North and South America under the musical direction of James Levine. Other conductors with whom he has collaborated include Zubin Mehta, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Paavo Jarvi, Yehudi Menuhin and Yuri Temirkanov.

He has played with several orchestras in the UK, such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic and the Halle Orchestra to name but a few.

Actively involved in chamber music, Robert is featured alongside Nigel Kennedy in a quartet for his new release 'Greatest Hits' on the EMI label. At the Verbier Festival he was able to work with Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky and Dmitri Sitkovetsky, he also performed a concert of chamber music with pianist Michel Dalberto and violinist Dmitri Sitkovetsky. In 2001 he gave the UK premiere of works by John Corigliano with the Goodburn Quartet, while still studying in Manchester.

Robert has performed in numerous masterclasses including those given by members of the King's Consort, Chilingirian Quartet and the violist Simon Rowland- Jones. He is now taught by James Dunham, formerly of the Cleveland Quartet, at Rice University.