Robert Yamasato received his B.A. in music from Columbia University, along with M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Music Composition from the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught introductory and advanced music theory courses. In 2008 he was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. He has received fellowships and awards from the New York Arts Ensemble, the Rapaport Summer Music Fellowship, the Wellesley Composers Conference, the Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Competition, Meet the Composer, Nicola De Lorenzo Prize in Music Composition, and Bowling Green State.