Randall Goosby returns to Philadelphia to perform Florence Price Violin Concerti with The Philadelphia Orchestra
Randall Goosby will play with the Philadelphia Orchestra for four performances, Oct. 6–9 (Photo credit: Jeremy Mitchell)
Violinist seizes ‘homecoming’ with Philadelphia Orchestra to kick open doors of classical music
By Jeremy Mitchell
KYW Newsradio
October 5, 2022
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A rising star in the classical music world is bringing his talents back home to Philadelphia, where he is hoping to inspire other young musicians.
Randall Goosby has played the violin since he was 5 years old. And by all accounts, at 26, he’s still very young as a classical musician.
A Black male violinist, Goosby is a rarity among his peers. Born in Philadelphia, he is returning to perform with The Philadelphia Orchestra, something many classical musicians more than twice his age aspire to.
“This is a sort of homecoming moment.” Goosby said. “It’s a really special city, with a very, very special group of musicians, and it’s really just an honor to be a part of such an incredible culture. To do so performing such special works by such a special composer in Florence Price makes it all that much better.”
He will perform two violin concertos by the late composer Price, the first Black woman to have a symphonic work premiered by a major American orchestra. Their 2021 recording of Price’s First and Third Symphonies won the orchestra its first Grammy Award, for “Best Orchestral Performance."
“This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore some really fantastic music that’s been under-appreciated for the past half-century,” he said.
More personally, he said, this represents an opportunity to open classical music up to a wider audience.
“For me, it’s really just about opening the doors of classical music a little bit wider and making it an art form that’s a little bit more inviting, accessible and welcoming to people of all walks of life and all backgrounds — which it traditionally hasn’t been,” he said.
In his efforts to do this, he will take his violin from the concert hall into classrooms.
“In December, I’ll be coming back for a recital with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at which point I’ll be going around to some local schools, giving talks and master classes and things like that.”
Goosby’s four Philadelphia Orchestra performances are scheduled for Oct. 6–9, in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
Read the full article here.