Robert Ward has an active international career as pianist, orchestral conductor, chamber musician, artistic director of music festivals, juror at international competitions, and master teacher. Honors include the Prix di Positano for outstanding performance of Beethoven's piano music, an Austrian Government Grant for study at the Hochschule fuer Musik in Vienna and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and a Fulbright Award for study in Italy with Wilhelm Kempff. He first came to international attention when he introduced Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto during a 10-country tour of Latin America sponsored by the U.S. State Department. He is director of Piano*Fest*Austria. In 2002, the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts honored Robert Ward as a Distinguished Teacher in the Arts for inspiring young artists and "having the most profound influence on their artistic development." He has taught on the faculties of USC, UCLA, and is currently Professor at Cal State Los Angeles, Occidental College and Cal Tech.