John Roby

John Roby is a Canadian film and theatre composer and pianist.

A native of Windsor, Nova Scotia, he began writing music for theatre projects in Halifax in the 1970s, and served as the pianist on Noel Harrison's television variety show Take Time with Noel Harrison, before moving to Toronto, Ontario, in 1976. He composed music for several of George F. Walker's plays, including Zastrozzi, The Master of Discipline, Filthy Rich, Rumors of Our Death, Theatre of the Film Noir, Science and Madness,

In 1984 he composed music for Jim Betts's The Mystery of the Oak Island Treasure. Girls in the Gang, and The Dreamland. In 1990 he collaborated with Tim Wynne-Jones on Mischief City, a musical for kids based on Wynne-Jones's 1986 book.

In 1993 he premiered The Old Man's Band, his first show written entirely on his own rather than with a collaborator.

He has also had credits as a composer of film scores, most notably on Thom Fitzgerald's films The Hanging Garden and Beefcake.

He married actress Patricia Vanstone in 1981.

Awards Award Year Category Work Result Ref(s) Genie Awards 2000 Best Original Score Beefcakewith John Wesley Chisholm, Michael Diabo Dora Mavor Moore Awards 1981 Outstanding New Score Theatre of the Film Noir 1984 Outstanding New Play Mystery of the Oak Island Treasurewith Jim Betts 1988 Outstanding New Revue or Musical Girls in the Gangwith Raymond Storey 1995 Outstanding Sound Design, Mid-Size Theatre The Old Man's Band 1998 Outstanding New Musical Jacob Two-Two's First Spy Casewith Mordecai Richler 2001 Outstanding Musical Direction Midnight Sun