Robert Bigio was born in the Middle East but grew up in Vancouver, Canada. He received a BMus from the University of British Columbia before coming to Britain where he obtained a PhD from the University of London. Robert played the flute professionally for many years before setting up as a flute maker. He is renowned as a scholar on the flute and flute manufacture and is presently the editor of the journal of British Flute Society. Robert is author of Readings in the History of the Flute, a selection of monographs, essays, reviews, letters and advertisements from nineteenth-century London. His long-awaited book on the history of the flute makers Rudall, Rose & Carte will be published in 2010. Robert lives in London with his wife Sue, the headteacher of a primary school, and their son Jacob, a medical student.