Randall Goosby featured in three major Korean media outlets
Randall Goosby speaks about his upbringing, Korean roots, and aspirations as a musician
Violinist Randall Goosby was recently featured in major Korean media outlets: Maeil Economy, Chosun, and Auditorium. He spoke with the popular publications about his Korean roots and the sacrifices his parents made for his education.
Reporter Seo Jeong-Won of the Maeil Economy writes: “Randall Goosby has collaborated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. Recently, he signed an exclusive contract with the classical record label Decca and released his debut album Roots. The British daily paper The Guardian gave it a 4 out of 5 stars, saying, ‘It is a serious music in a variety of styles without being noisy.’ The album tells his many 'roots' as the title suggests. It contains the cultural assets of Goosby, who was born to a Korean mother and an African American father. In particular, it is a tribute to the last generation of black and female composers who owe them musically. He said, ‘Thanks to these musicians, people of color like me today can do music with confidence and freedom.’
In addition to his 'black identity', his other root 'Korea' is also a concern of Goosby. He said, ‘I have half black and half Korean blood,’ he said. ‘I want to work on a song by a Korean composer on my next album.’ Korea is an inseparable country despite its musical growth. Several Korean professors and colleagues at Juilliard School of Music, including violinist Catherine Cho, who is teaching Goosby with Perlman, were the inspiration. In addition, he said, ‘I searched all the videos and recordings of the performance,’ he said, choosing Kyung Wha Chung as one of the violinists he admires.
In the future, Goosby's goal as a musician is to show people the hidden charm of classical music. ‘There are a lot of musicians and composers and stories in classical music,’ he said. ‘I want to get people into a lot of new and different music. It’s like dominoes. When you get out of your comfort zone and encounter new music, you want to find and listen to other music. I am going through the same process. This album is the first step in that, on a long journey to find out what classical musicians are capable of saying.’”
Chosun’s Kim Seong-Hyun writes: “He showed his talent early, winning the American Sphinx Competition at the age of 13. Two years later, he studied with renowned American violinist Itzhak Perlman (76). After entering The Juilliard School, he studied with Professor Catherine Cho, who is also a Korean violinist. Goosby said, "The two teachers tell us to develop sensitivity and imagination through various metaphors and poetic language such as literature and color as well as technical aspects.”
The title of his recently released debut album is Roots. As the title suggests, the album features works by African American composers such as William Grant Still (1895-1978) and Florence Price (1887-1953). He said, ‘After the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, I thought a lot about my own cultural identity and pride. I found these composers after thinking about whether there was a way to show this through music rather than hate or hatred,’ he said. He said, ‘If there is an opportunity in the future, I want to express another part of my identity, the cultural traditions of Asia, through music.’
Auditorium’s Chan-Mi Park interviews Goosby: “The album Roots features works by composers that are not easily found, such as Florence Price, William Grant Steele, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. What is the story you want to convey through this?” Goosby responds: “Some of the pieces on the album are world premiere recordings. It was also true that there was relatively little data on these work. This is the point where the imagination of the musician must be exercised. If you imagine the experiences of composers based on the information you have and put yourself into it, you can discover the story behind the work. These composers suffered discrimination because of their skin color, but they overcame it with music. The process inspired me. I hoped that the stories of these people would be conveyed through the album.”
To read the full articles, visit , Maeil Economy, Chosun and Auditorium.
