Cellist Joshua Roman Takes his Solo Career in New and Exciting Directions
The path of a soloist was, for a long time, a very monotonous life. Any cellist who decided to become a soloist had to come to terms with the fact that they would be playing the Dvorak concerto hundreds of times a year for the rest of their life. In the 21st century, however, the soloist exists in a very different world. While the dream of playing concertos with orchestras and giving recitals on the side is a still a possibility, musicians have also been pushed to realize new endeavors to support themselves. And of all the soloists active today, there are few who represent this new mentality than Joshua Roman.
Called a “classical rock star” by the press, Roman has established himself as a successful cellist in several fields: he once held the position of principal cellist in the Seattle Symphony, serves as the artistic director of a chamber music festival in the same city, and is in high demand as a soloist around the world. But its Roman’s more outside the box achievements that make him all the more impressive:
His exploration includes performing jazz, rock and chamber music in venues from clubs to schools to major concert halls. He’s committed to new concertos, chamber music and solo cello works, which have led to projects with diverse composers, including Dan Visconti, whose Americana will be on Wednesday’s program.
The young artist was named one of 25 TED fellows worldwide this year, which recognizes world-changing innovators. The nonprofit TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” and chose Roman as a Next Generation Innovator for his creative initiatives on behalf of classical music.
Roman has been featured in electronic music concerts at venues such as Le Poisson Rouge and recently at a DJ festival in New York, where he improvised on a Middle Eastern track with DJ Spooky. He also utilizes technology in his Popper Project on Youtube, where he is attempting to record and post all 40 etudes using only his laptop.
Whatever he’s doing, it’s clear that Joshua Roman has his hands full. This is what the 21st century musician is today: versatile, creative, and embracing of technology. Roman’s busy schedule shows the benefits of this attitude. The more open you are to different forms of music and unconventional concerts, the more opportunities to play you’ll have, along with new ways to bring classical music into peoples lives. While we should certainly revere the soloists of the past, we should also honor our modern soloists as brave leaders of a new musical world.
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