Joshua Roman

Cellist. Curator. Composer.

“Combines the expressive control of Casals with the creative individuality and virtuoso flair of Hendrix himself”

-Gramophone



Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone… and playful zest for exploration” (New York Times), as well as his “extraordinary technical and musical gifts" and “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom… that goes straight to the heart" (San Francisco Chronicle). His genre-bending programs and wide-ranging collaborations have grown out of an “enthusiasm for musical evolution that is as contagious as his love for the classics" (Seattle Times).

Committed to bringing Classical music to new audiences, Roman opened the acclaimed 2017 TED Conference, and his performance of the complete Bach Solo Cello Suites after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election was the most-viewed event in the history of TED’s social channels, with nearly a million live viewers. Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony-winner/MacArthur Genius Bill T. Jones, Grammy Award-winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tony Award-nominated actor Anna Deavere Smith.

Upcoming Schedule

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March 29, 2024

The Seattle Series

Recital
Seattle, WA

with Efe Baltacigil, Meeka Quan DiLorenzo, Nathan Chan, and Sarah Rommel

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April 6, 2024

Las Vegas Philharmonic

Mason Bates: Cello Concerto
Las Vegas, NV

Donato Cabrera, conductor

The Smith Center

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June 1, 2024

Music Academy Gala

Santa Barbara, CA
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“...IT TAKES, AS THEY SAY, A VERY PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS TO PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THIS. BUT ROMAN — WHO, IN ADDITION TO BEING A FORMIDABLE MUSICIAN, BOASTS THE EASY, SUNNY CHARISMA OF A BOY-BAND FRONTMAN — IS JUST THE PERSON FOR THE JOB.”

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, JULY 2021 [JOSHUA KOSMAN]

Latest Album

October 5, 2018

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart is a one-act chamber opera based on the chilling short story by Edgar Allan Poe. Evoking the experience of a campfire ghost story and easily adaptable for both staged presentations and concert performances, this monodrama pulls audiences into the deeply disturbed mind of a narrator as she recounts and relives a recent murder – only to be haunted by the overwhelming sound of her victim’s persistently beating heart. Cast: 1 singer Ensemble: cello and piano Duration: 25 minutes

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