At the age of five, Robert Blocker began his study in piano, presenting his first recital two years later. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, his public debut was at historic Dock Street Theater (now home to the Spoleto Chamber Music Series). His advanced degree studies were under the tutelage of the eminent American pianist, Richard Cass. He later studied with George Bolet on a Rotary Fellowship.

Today, he concertizes throughout the world. Recent orchestral engagements have included the Beijing and Shanghai Symphony orchestras, the Korean and Daejon Symphony orchestras, the Prague and Moscow chamber orchestras, the Monterrey Philharmonic and the Houston Symphony. His appearances at the Beethoven Festival (Warsaw) and the Great Mountains International Music Festival (Korea, with Sejong Soloists) add to the critical acclaim as noted in the Los Angeles Times review: "...great skill and accomplishment, a measurable virtuoso bent and considerable musical sensitivity…mesmerizing moments."

In 2006 Blocker was named honorary Professor of Piano at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and, in November of 2007, he was the keynote speaker on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Shanghai Conservatory. His many contributions to the music community include service on the advisory boards for the Avery Fisher Artist Program and the Stoeger Prize at Lincoln Center, the Gilmore Artist Advisory Board, and the Curatorium of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. He is a member of the American Music Center Board of Directors.

Robert Blocker appears regularly on national radio and television as an artist and commentator and is active as a consultant to major educational institutions and government agencies. In 2000, Steinway and Sons featured him in a film commemorating the tercentennial year of the piano. His recent recording of three Mozart concerti with the Biava Quartet appeared on the NAXOS label in 2008. In November 2004, Yale University Press published The Robert Shaw Reader, a collection of Shaw’s writings edited by Dean Blocker. The volume received considerable acclaim and is now in its third printing. Presently, it is being translated into Korean.