Q. What is CutTime®?

A. CutTime is the artistic enterprise CutTime Productions LLC, started in 1993 and incorporated in 2010, whose services, besides traditional concerts, extend classical and esp. symphonic music into pop culture settings to edu-tain diverse audiences nationally. CutTime works both commercially, in partnership with concert presenters and orchestras, and as a unique social mission to share key listening insights (eg. phrasing, silent beats, contrasting themes) as freely and effectively as possible. Events and concerts take place in bars, clubs, coffeehouses, restaurants, offices, homes, backyards, and street festivals, as well as churches, schools and concert halls. CutTime books two composer-led ensembles, a popular club classical series, and a publishing catalog of 90+ titles including over two dozen original compositions by founder Rick Robinson.

The umbrella corporation, CutTime Productions, LLC manages these entities:

  • CutTime Players: mixed octet of flute, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion, violin and bass featuring transcriptions of famous symphonic repertoire
  • CutTime Simfonica®: flexible string quartet or sextet with optional percussion and/or woodwind soloist featuring new compositions and more transcriptions
  • Mr. CutTime: a.) CutTime founder, artistic director, bassist, arranger, composer and conductor Rick Robinson, a veteran of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra 1989-2012, b.) the current spokesperson, director, and principal host of CutTime events.
  • CutTime Players Publishing: sheet music division registered with ASCAP
  • Classical Revolution Detroit: (amplified) event series of lively chamber music and classical reading sessions in bars, coffeehouses, restaurants, streets: a club classical (new classical, casual classical) incubator. CutTime Simfonica (quartet with drums) is normally the “house band” with guest artists. The series ran 2010-2022.
  • The Urban Requiem Project:, a recent partnership with founder-poet-director Virgil Taylor and street poets Andre Johnson and Claretha (Peace) Bell to commemorate Detroit’s industrial century with music, spoken word, and vintage photos and video. Peak was in 2019 with the premiere of “Phantom Detroit.

Since August of 2014 the overall CutTime Project has been fiscally sponsored through Fractured Atlas of New York, a non-profit arts service organization.

Hi-res photo 1 of Rick Robinson (playing bass)
Hi-res photo 2 of Rick Robinson (headshot)
Hi-res photo 3 of Rick Robinson (writing music)
Med-res photo 4 of Rick Robinson (Detroit skyline)
Med-res photo of Classical Revolution Detroit club event

1-sheet biography of Rick Robinson
1-sheet description of CutTime ensembles
Promo postcard of CutTime ensembles

Detroit Free Press article by Mark Stryker September 7, 2011 announcing Robinson’s resignation from DSO
CutTime Press Release, Sept. 9, 2013, announcing Knight Foundation Support for CRD
SoundCloud feed features a large portfolio of live recordings and samples.