Robert Papacica is a jazz guitarist, composer, recording engineer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York.
Robert Papacica is an award winning composer, educator, and musician originally from Toronto, Canada. Robert has appeared as a sideman in jazz clubs in Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle, and New York.
Young Arts Award recipient Robert Papacica began playing guitar at the age of 10, and was a member of the Kuumbwa Jazz Center education program and the SFJazz High School All Star Big Band. He is also an alumni of the International Association of Schools of Jazz 2019 led by Dave Liebman in Zagreb, Croatia. In 2022, Robert also received an outstanding graduate student soloist award from Downbeat Magazine and was selected to be a part of the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. under the direction of Jason Moran.
Robert currently resides in Brooklyn, New York where he preforms and is an educator for Jazz Empowers, a non-profit organization providing jazz education to the New York School System. He also has taught as an adjunct guitar instructor at the NYU Steinhardt School.
As a leader, Robert is part of the Ark Trio which features Keshav Batish on Drums and Anthony Paolini on Saxophone. The band released their debut record in April 2022. Robert also leads an organ trio featuring Marcelo Perez on drums and Eddie Mendenhall on Organ. He also regularly plays with his quartet featuring his own original music.
As a sideman, Robert has appeared on BMI William Goldstein award recipient Adam Claussen’s record entitled Arethusa Falls. He has also appeared on Gary Meek's 2021 release, Monterey Groove, which features Airto Moreiera, Dave Weckl, Flora Purim, Michael Lent, and many others.
As an engineer, Robert has mixed his own releases such as ARK, as well as the Arnie Sainz, Marshal Herridge, and Tony Moreno album entitled Darts on the Adhyaropa Records Label. He has also mixed Johannes Hamm's record featuring Drew Gress and Miki Yamanaka to be released in 2024. Please contact Robert through the contact form for mixing rates.
As an alumnus of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, Robert was a member of the Concert Jazz Band where he played alongside acclaimed guitarist and composer Adam Rogers, as well as GRAMMY award winning artists such as Dafnis Prieto and John Daversa. Robert can also be heard on acclaimed composer and jazz professor Clint Bleil’s album.
He has studied under many notable artists and teachers such as Peter Bernstein, John Scofield, John Hart, Bruce Forman, Alan Ferber, Brad Shepik, Billy Drewes, Brian Lynch, Julian Lage, Pat Kelley, Gary Meek, and Adam Rogers.
In addition to performing, Robert is a passionate educator who has served as the Teaching Assistant at the Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Program since 2015. He also teaches privately in the New York area and virtually. Robert was also the Regional Director of Education for Young Musicians Unite, a non-profit organization that specializes in music education across Miami.
