YourClassical interview with Randall Goosby

Photo Credit: Gregory Reed

Violinist Randall Goosby enjoys meteoric rise but remains groundedWritten by Andrea Blain and Scott BlankenshipHosted by Vernon NealYourClassicalSeptember 14, 2023

Violinist Randall Goosby uses the phrase “love at first sight” to describe his early relationship with his instrument.

Although he studied piano as a young child, he switched to the violin at 7 and soon was practicing three hours a day. He was encouraged by his parents to work hard at music. His dad is Black, his mom Korean. At 9, he made his solo debut with the Jacksonville (Florida) Symphony. By 11, he was traveling with his mother to New York City every month for violin lessons. Soon after, he began studying with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, who has remained a mentor.

At 13, he became the youngest winner of the Sphinx Concerto Competition. He also was the featured soloist in a New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concert. When he was 14, he appeared on NPR’s From the Top and the trajectory of his career shows no signs of slowing down.

Randall also is passionate about sharing classical music with everyone, regardless of background and he does outreach work in classrooms, hospitals and community centers. He has a strong sense of social and racial justice and uses music to address that. During the protests that followed the killing of George Floyd, Goosby helped to organize a series of online talks with prominent Black musicians to discuss inequities in classical music.

Listen to the full interview here