his own name with the Howard Roberts Chorale: "Dream a Little Dream of Me" on Kapp Records and "Let My People Go: Black Spirituals/African Drums" on Columbia Records.

Roberts' collaboration with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater began in 1958, including his creation of the musical score for the company's signature ballet "Revelations" in 1960. He spent 15 years as musical director and conductor for the company.

Roberts composed the full-length musical theater piece "The Sun Do Move"; the score for the European tour of James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner"; the original musical "Blackbirds"; "Harlem Sweet" (from the works of Langston Hughes); "Black New World"; and the original score for the AMAS Repertory Theater production and of Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity."

Born in Burlington, N.J., Roberts grew up in Cleveland. Roberts receivedhis post-secondary education at Baldwin-Wallace College and Case Western Reserve U. and received his Bachelors of Music and Masters of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

He was a member of AFTRA, the American Federation of Musicians and Actors Equity. He was also a member of the National Assn. of Negro Musicians.

Roberts' wife of 47 years, singer-actress Doris Galiber, died in 2001. He is survived by a daughter, Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, national executive director of AFTRA; a son, Brian; and two grandchildren.

A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m., at the Angelus Funeral Home in Los Angeles, to be followed by a memorial service in New York City at a date to be determined in late March.

The actor Andrew Resino, which became very popular