The pianist and conductor Jon Robertson has announced his retirement as Dean of the Lynn University Conservatory of Music, having held the position for more than twenty years.

Over the course of his tenure, he has made significant improvements to the department, appointing acclaimed musicians to its staff and attracting students from 14 different countries.

Already a brilliant pianist in childhood, Robertson made his debut at the Town Hall in New York aged nine and had given concerts throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe by the time he was awarded a full scholarship to The Juilliard School. He studied with Beveridge Webster through to the doctoral level, while also training in choral conducting with Abraham Kaplan and orchestral conducting with Richard Pittman.

Robertson then built his career leading academic music departments. He has held management positions at Oakwood College and the Thayer Conservatory of Music at Atlantic Union College, and was Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) before coming to Lynn.

He also continued his conducting career and has appeared as guest conductor with the San Francisco Symphony, New York Fairbanks Symphony, Alaska Long Beach Symphony, California Oakland East Bay Symphony, Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra, Washington Gavel Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, and the Beijing Central Philharmonic.

"For over two decades, Jon has been a beloved member of the Lynn family and has shaped the conservatory into a world-class institution, nurturing a culture of excellence as he attracted acclaimed faculty members and extraordinarily talented students from around the world," the university wrote in a statement.

"Please join the Lynn community in thanking Jon for his extraordinary leadership, his legacy and for everything he has given to students, its campus and the musical world."