Roberts, Donald Llewellyn

Donald L. Roberts was born in 1938 and grew up in Dodge City, Kansas. He attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and received a degree in music theory in Kansas. He graduated with a Masters in Ethnomusicology in 1963 from the University of Michigan.

Roberts worked at the University of New Mexico, Fine Arts Library, 1963-1968. In 1964, he helped establish the Archives of Southwestern Music at the Fine Arts Library. Roberts was active in many library and music organizations and played bassoon in the Albuquerque Symphony Orchestra. In 1969 Roberts transferred to Northwestern University, where he was director of the music library and taught in the school of music. He had a distinguished career and made many contributions in the fields of music, ethnomusicology, and music librarianship. He retired from Northwestern in 2002. Roberts published a number of chapters and articles regarding German music, Native American music, working with sound archives, school music programs and music reference materials.