Wesley Roberts has been a member of the music faculty at Campbellsville University since 1982, teaching courses in piano, organ, and musicology. He has supervised over one hundred solo undergraduate and graduate piano and organ recitals, as well as nine master’s theses, and has served as University Organist, the first director of the University Orchestra, and as co-founder of the institution’s Professional Development program. His students have won top honors in piano, organ, and piano ensemble competitions, and have earned doctoral degrees in piano performance and musicology.
Dr. Roberts has presented concerts as pianist and organist throughout the United States, in Europe and in China, including premières of works by the Dutch composers Hans Osieck, Johan van Kempen, and Kees Weggelaar, and the American composers Tom Johnson, James W. Moore, Barbara Rogers, and Daniel Gilliam. He has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences, including the Music Teachers National Association in Cincinnati, where he spoke on the topic “Bridging the Gap: Tools and Incentives for Pianists Turned Organists” (2002) and the European Piano Teachers Association in Helsinki, Finland, where he spoke on “Intermediate-Level Piano Literature by United States Composers” (2017). Dr. Roberts is the author of articles and reviews in British, Dutch, and American journals, and co-author with Maurice Hinson of The Piano in Chamber Ensemble, 2nd and 3rd Editions (2006, 2021), Guide to the Pianist’s Repertoire, 4th Edition (2014), and The Pianist’s Dictionary, 2nd Edition (2020). A new edition of The Pianist’s Bookshelf is scheduled for publication in 2023.
Dr. Roberts has served as a visiting professor at the French Piano Institute in Paris and at Shanghai Normal University, and as organist at the First Baptist Church in Somerset and Calvin Presbyterian Church in Louisville, the latter two for nearly a decade each. Along with his wife Sida, the two have jointly served in various church music positions over the years. His interest in music around the world has led him to organize concert tours across Kentucky for international artists from France, Holland, Denmark, England, and China. He has served additionally as President of three professional organizations, including the Kentucky Music Teachers Association, which granted him its’ 2005 Distinguished Service Award and 2012 Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Roberts is also the recipient of the 2013 Campbellsville University Distinguished Professor Award.