Praised by The New York Times as “an artist who makes one hang on every note,”  Robert deMaine has distinguished himself as one of the finest musicians of his generation, having performed to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, recording artist, and chamber musician throughout the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. A first-prize winner in many national and international competitions from the time he was 12 years old, Mr. deMaine became, in 1990, the first cellist ever to win San Francisco’s prestigious Irving M. Klein International Competition for Strings.

The recipient of a career grant from the Helen M. Saunders Foundation, Mr. deMaine’s many previous distinctions have included First Prizes from the Saint Louis Symphony Young Artists Competition, the Chicago Cello Society Competition, the Naftzger International Competition, the Piatigorsky Seminar, the Corpus Christi International String Competition, the American String Teachers Association New York Solo Competition, and the Premio Sipario di Milano for Excellence in Classical Performance where he was the first cellist to be selected for this Italian art-and-entertainment honor. Mr. deMaine was honored in both 2003 and 2004 by the Alliance Française and is the recipient of the 2004 Detroit/Motor City Music Award for Best Classical Instrumentalist. 

Robert deMaine has collaborated with many distinguished musicians, including violinists Gil Shaham, Pamela Frank, Joseph Silverstein, and Felix Galimir, pianists Emanuel Ax, Claude Frank, Anton Kuerti, and Yefim Bronfman, and conductors Neeme Järvi, Walter Hendl, Mark Wigglesworth, Nicholas McGegan, Jun Märkl, Alexander Schneider, and Yoav Talmi.  As a chamber musician, he is a frequent guest artist at music festivals throughout the world, including Aspen, Norfolk, Seattle, Steamboat Springs, Utah, Heidelberg (Germany), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, also performing with Music from Marlboro in New York and Washington, D.C.  He has collaborated with the Beaux Arts Trio, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland, Juilliard, Emerson and American String Quartets, and now performs regularly with violinist James Ehnes and pianist Andrew Armstrong.

As a teacher, Mr. deMaine has led master classes worldwide, and has served on the faculties of the University of Connecticut, Hartford Conservatory of Music, American Festival for the Arts in Houston, Eastman School of Music, National Orchestral Institute, New World Symphony, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University in Detroit. Also a composer, Robert deMaine has written extensively for his own instrument and regularly performs his own music.  He has recorded for CBC, Elysium, Capstone, and CRI records, and his performances can be heard on NPR's Performance Today, the CBC, and seen on PBS and RAI.