Haunted by childhood memory of an exploding double bass in a Hallé performance (the ensuing glare from Barbirolli something never forgotten), Robert has spent more than four decades following concerts and opera in the North of England. 
Once present in a crowded theatre when (for once) there was good reason for someone to shout “There’s a fire on stage!” - an Opera North show, when the emergency was coolly dealt with - he's also witnessed many other stages set alight, metaphorically.
Sometimes privileged to see (including at the Royal Northern College of Music) the birth of starry careers, he's always hoping to see more.