Rob Moose
Rob Moose is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar.
Early life and education
Moose was born in 1982. He was raised in Windsor, Connecticut and learned piano and violin at The Hartt School. He attended the Loomis Chaffee School through 10th grade, before moving with his family to Moorestown, New Jersey. He completed high school at Moorestown Friends School, graduating in 2000. Moose studied violin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He began a master's program in American studies at Columbia University, but left to join Antony and the Johnsons on tour in 2005.Career
Instrumentalist
Moose met Sufjan Stevens in 2004 after being introduced to him by Shara Worden, who was then a member of Stevens' touring band. Moose made his first major contribution in 2005, playing violin on Stevens' album Illinois.As a violinist, violist, guitarist, and mandolinist, Moose has performed on close to 500 albums, including albums by artists such as Gwen Stefani, Maren Morris, Rufus Wainwright, Alabama Shakes, John Legend, and Joshua Bell. He appeared on the Grammy Award-winning albums High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project by Loudon Wainwright III and The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. In addition, he has contributed to Nico Muhly's score for Howards End and Nicholas Britell's scores for Free State of Jones and Battle of the Sexes.
Arranger
Moose has worked as a music arranger for records by numerous artists including The Decemberists, Interpol, The National, St. Vincent, Bon Iver, Tune-Yards, LeAnn Rimes, They Might Be Giants, Trey Anastasio, Bruce Hornsby, Paul Simon, Sara Bareilles, Punch Brothers, Phoebe Bridgers, and Taylor Swift. His relationship with Blake Mills has resulted in collaborations on albums by John Legend, Alabama Shakes, Laura Marling, Jim James, Perfume Genius, Dawes and Jesca Hoop. Moose has also contributed arrangements to classical artists such as Joshua Bell and Renée Fleming, and his work was featured on the Grammy Award-winning album High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project by Loudon Wainwright III.Moose has contributed to three benefit albums by Red Hot Organization, including interpreting Johann Sebastian Bach piano works as a duo with mandolinist Chris Thile on Red Hot + Bach. Moose has also been a frequent contributor to Ben Folds' Declassified Series with the National Symphony Orchestra, writing charts for Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, Emily King and Blake Mills.
Conducting and performing
In 2007, Moose made his debut as a conductor and orchestrator in a performance with Sufjan Stevens at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House. He was the conductor on Antony and the Johnsons' live album Cut the World. He has worked as a conductor at numerous venues, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Royal Opera House. Moose has also conducted orchestras in performance for Anohni, Sufjan Stevens, and Bruce Hornsby. Moose's orchestrations have been performed by Laura Marling and 12 Ensemble, Amos Lee with the Colorado Symphony, and by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.Moose has toured with Antony and the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, The National, Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, and Blake Mills, and My Brightest Diamond. He has also played viola in performance with Jay-Z and played violin in performance for Savion Glover, Josh Groban, Vampire Weekend, and Duncan Sheik. Recently, Moose served as the musical director for Sara Bareilles' "Amidst the Chaos" tour in 2019.