Robert Steadman was born in London in 1965. He studied at Cricklade College, Andover before reading music at Keble College, Oxford, graduating in 1986. He studied composition with Tom Eastwood. He is a highly prolific composer writing music which appeals to both players and audiences.

Robert has written a wide range of music including concertos for oboe, viola and euphonium. He has completed a Marimba Concerto for Evelyn Glennie (for whom he also wrote a Sonata for Tympani and a piece for Chinese cup bells), Puddle Jumping: a concerto in one movement for 'cello (for Jenny Janse), whalesong: a concerto for electronic wind instrument with wind band which was written for Peter Nichols and was premiered at the 1993 BASBWE Conference and flocinauci...: a concerto grosso for flute, oboe and wind band. He has written a Sonatine for flute and piano (for Helen Baker), Skimming Stones: a sonatine for trumpet and piano (for Faye Barber), and sonatas for clarinet, harp, trombone and 'cello. Sonata in one movement for solo tuba was a test piece at the Geneva International Competition for Musical Performance and By the Railway Sidings: a sonata was commissioned by pianist Amanda Hurton.

Robert has written much music for the theatre, including Buttonhole Theatre Company's Macbeth (1992, New End, Hampstead) as well as various revues and youth theatre productions. In 1992 he was composer and Musical Director of the Love Loyalty Community Festival which commemorated the 300th anniversary of the English Civil War. he has written an opera, The Box of Delights, based on John Masefield's children's fantasy which was commissioned by the Oxfordshire Youth Music Trust, and a chamber opera, Sredni Vashtar, to a libretto by Richard Adams based on the Saki short story.

Robert has written a number of pieces for brass band including Islands and Suite for Brass and his compositions for wind orchestra include the experimental Challenge the Rainbow which was a major success of the 1992 BASBWE Conference, the lighter Theme for BAND-A-THON, written for the charity of the same name and The Dethe of Robyn Hood for narrator and wind band which was premiered in Sherwood Forest.

In 1988, TVS made and broadcast a documentary in their Music Makers series about the commissioning, composing, rehearsing and performance of a piece for the South Carolina Serpent Festival which was performed by the London Serpent Trio and the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, conducted by Roger Norrington.

In 1996, Robert made a training programme for the OPEN UNIVERSITY about the Composer in the Classroom for the Music PGCE course based around his composition Mind the Gap.

Lux Aeterna for unaccompanied choir, was used in the memorial service for the victims of the Dunblane tragedy in October 1996 and was broadcast live on BBC television and radio. In 1996, Stay Johnny, stay was featured for several weeks on Chris Evans' BBC Radio One Show, and Robert has written a couple of jingles which have been featured on BBC Radio Five Live's Midday with Mair programme.

He has written a great deal of chamber music including Still Life with Quartet for clarinet, violin, 'cello and piano, The Rains are Coming for The Fairer Sax, Ten Little Indians: an A-Z of the brass ensemble for London Brass Virtuosi and Bubble's Gonna Burst Soon for the Apollo Brass Quintet, which has subsequently been broadcast on ITV.

Robert has written five large choral works: In Memoriam, on the subject of remembrance, for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra commissioned by Nottinghamshire Education Committee; Mass in Black for soprano, tenor, choir and ensemble which combines the Requiem Mass text with prophecies of Nostradamus and "green" poems, was commissioned by Basingstoke Choral Society; Magnificat (commissioned by St. Mary's Hospital (London) Music Society for mezzo, baritone, choir and orchestra which is also available in a chamber verion for piano, organ and percussion and an ensemble version for seven instruments; Gloria for soloists, choir and orchestra; and Requiem for boys' choir and organ/piano. Pepys' Diary, for narrator, junior choir and orchestra and In Search of the Pharaohs, for narrator, junior choir and piano which is based on the life of Howard Carter, were both commissioned by the City of London Freemen's School. Other larger pieces include The Elements: a chamber symphony and Symphony No.1: SYMPHONY OF DREAMS for soprano and chamber orchestra.

Robert was COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE at the City of London Freemen's School from 1991-6 and with the Nottinghamshire Education Committee's Arts Support Service from 1995-8. He was ARTISTIC DIRECTOR of the 1996 cambridge contemporarymusic festival.

A CD of Robert's chamber music performed by the Holywell Ensemble was released in 1998 on the new MAPA MUNDI label and a CD of his music for saxophone will be released during 2001.