Robert Shaw – Man of Many Voices traces the journey of a small town California boy who planned to be a minister like his father, but instead became the greatest conductor of choral music the world has ever known. At the heart of the film is the mystery of Shaw’s genius. With no formal musical training, he achieved a stunning early success in popular music and later became legendary for his interpretations of classical music’s great choral masterpieces.
An early champion of civil rights, Shaw had a mystical belief in the power of community and could communicate his passion for music with spellbinding intensity. As Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the latter half of the twentieth century, Robert Shaw changed the course of musical history through the many voices he set on fire with an enduring love of music.
