News
Joshua Roman’s Popper Project gets Strings Magazine mention
Cellist Joshua Roman Pitches Popper Études
By Rory Williams
Cellists may feel alone in their studies of David Popper’s “The High School of Cello Playing: 40 Études.” But touring soloist Joshua Roman, the 26-year-old former principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony Orch estra, makes the case that they shouldn’t. “It’s one of those things that cellists have in common as much as Bach,” Roman says.
Superstars At Play
BFOM recital slightly revised
by Christopher Key
By the time tonight’s Bellingham Festival of Music recital was over, my program looked like a Pentagon flow chart, with arrows going every which way. Cellist Joshua Roman, soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and pianist Kevin Murphy decided they wanted to have a little fun and bring the audience along with them. I didn’t hear any complaints.
Joshua Roman Premieres New Cello Sonata
This month cellist Joshua Roman is getting a jump on the Fourth of July, with both the world premiere in Seattle and the New York City premiere of a piece composed for him by fellow Cleveland Institute of Music graduate Dan Visconti. The five-movement composition, entitled “Americana,” is based on lines of texts from patriotic folk songs, combining elements from American hymns, sea shanties, civil rights marches, and even Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. “It’s refreshing to see somebody who is able to present such a new, yet familiar side of what classical music can be,” said Roman. “Visconti captures folk themes in a very traditional manner, without it being too hokey. It’s a great celebration!”
Albany Symphony Orchestra’s “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” @ Palace Theatre, 4/23/10
ALBANY – Spectacular. Advertising copywriters often use that adjective to describe concerts of Tchaikovsky, especially when his 1812 Overture is performed, with or without real cannons.
The Albany Symphony Orchestra’s “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” Friday night at the Palace Theatre didn’t emphasize booming spectacle. Instead, it earned the critique of spectacular for the outstanding level of musical execution and deep emotional impact.
Joshua Roman Between Airplanes
From center stage in February with the San Francisco Symphony to second cello this week at Seattle’s Town Hall, Joshua Roman is racking up two sets of frequent flier miles criss-crossing the country with his cello.