Robert Ronald Tremain (9 October 1923 – 17 July 1998) was a New Zealand composer and music teacher.Born in Feilding, New Zealand in 1923, Tremain initially studied piano, gaining Trinity College diplomas before graduating with his first degree in music from Canterbury University College in 1946.After war service he taught at Feilding High School and attended Cambridge Summer Music Schools (studying composition with Douglas Lilburn) in 1947 and 1948. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music in London, gaining diplomas in piano performance and a doctorate in 1953.
awards during this time included the Royal College of Music Cobbett Prize for string quartet, the Farrar Prize for composition, and 2nd Prize in the Lionel Tertis Awards. In 1952 he was awarded an Italian Government Bursary and studied composition with Goffredo Petrassi at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome.