A native of Australia, Rob Nairn received his Bachelor of music with Distinction from the Canberra School of Music and a post-graduate diploma from the Berlin Musikhochschule by courtesy of a two-year DAAD German Government Scholarship.

Rob's experience covers Contemporary, Jazz, traditional Orchestral, and Baroque and Classical "authentic performance" Ensembles. His teachers have included Klaus Stoll, Tom Martin, and Max McBride. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, The Melbourne Symphony and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique. He has acted as guest Principle Bassist with the Halle Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and held the position of Principle bass with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

In the Early Music world he holds the position of Principal Double Bass with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, MA; he also works with the Washington Bach Consort, the Aulos Ensemble of NY and performs regularly in London as a member of 'Florilegium' (Baroque Ensemble-in-residence at the Wigmore hall) and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has performed recitals in Europe, the U.S. and Australia and performed in such international festivals as Salzburg, Glyndebourne and the London Proms.

Rob is active in commissioning new works for the Double Bass and has premiered more than thirty compositions for both solo bass and chamber music featuring the bass. As a soloist he has performed several concerti with the Australian Chamber and Adelaide symphony orchestras (including Bottesini's Passiona Amoroso with Gary Karr). His first solo CD is due for release shortly.

Rob Nairn is Professor of Double bass at Penn State University where he also directs the University's Baroque Ensemble and is president-elect of the International Society of Bassists.