2025 Keith and Renata Ward Emerging Composer:
Randall Goosby
“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others” – Randall Goosby’s own words sum up perfectly his commitment to being an artist who makes a difference. Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light.
Highlights of Randall Goosby’s 2024/25 season include debut performances with the Chicago Symphony/Sir Mark Elder, the Minnesota Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård, National Arts Centre Orchestra/Alexander Shelley, Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Dalia Stasevska and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/Michele Mariotti. He joins the London Philharmonic Orchestra on their U.S. tour led by Edward Gardner.
Goosby returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Utah Symphony. He appears in recital across North America and Europe as soloist as well as with the Renaissance Quartet.
Summer 2024 includes Goosby’s debut with the New York Philharmonic with Thomas Wilkins performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and he returns to Marlboro Music. Previous engagements have included debut performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons, National Symphony/Thomas Wilkins, Pittsburgh Symphony/Manfred Honeck, Seattle Symphony and St Louis Symphony both under Christian Reif, a European tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Danish National Radio Symphony/Jukka-PekkaSaraste, Oslo Philharmonic/Ryan Wigglesworth and Lahti Symphony/Roderick Cox. Goosby made his debuts in South Korea in recital and in Japan with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa/Kahchun Wong performing Bruch Violin Concerto in G minor. In summer 2023, he made his debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival under Louis Langrée.
In spring 2023, Goosby’s debut concerto album was released for Decca Classics together with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra performing the violin concertos by Max Bruch and Florence Price. Gramophone Magazine observed: “There’s an honesty and modesty…This playing isn’t dressed to impress but to express.”
Goosby’s first album for Decca, entitled ‘Roots’, is a celebration of African-American music which explores its evolution from the spiritual through to present-day compositions. Collaborating with pianist Zhu Wang, Goosby curated an album paying homage to the pioneering artists that paved the way for him and other artists of colour. It features three world-premiere recordings of music written by African-American composer Florence Price, and includes works by composers William Grant Still and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson plus a newly commissioned piece by acclaimed double bassist Xavier Foley, a fellow Sphinx and Young Concert Artists alumnus. “Roots: Deluxe Edition” was released in spring 2024 and features new recordings of music by Carlos Simon, William Grant Still and Florence Price.
Goosby is deeply passionate about inspiring and serving others through education, social engagement and outreach activities. He has enjoyed working with non-profit organizations such as the Opportunity Music Project and Concerts in Motion in New York City, as well as participating in community engagement programs for schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities across the United States. In 22/23 Goosby hosted a residency with the Iris Collective in Memphis with pianist, Zhu Wang. Together they explore how the students’ family history can relate to music and building community collaboration through narrative and performances.
Randall Goosby was First Prize Winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 2019, he was named the inaugural Robey Artist by Young Classical Artists Trust in partnership with Music Masters in London; and in 2020 he became an Ambassador for Music Masters, a role that sees him mentoring and inspiring students in schools around the United Kingdom. In 2010 he won first prize of the Sphinx Concerto Competition, he is a recipient of Sphinx’s Isaac Stern Award and of a career advancement grant from the Bagby Foundation and of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant. An active chamber musician, he has spent his summers studying at the Perlman Music Program, Verbier Festival Academy and Mozarteum Summer Academy among others.
Goosby made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age nine and with the New York Philharmonic on a Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall at age 13. A former student of Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho, he received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Artist Diploma degrees from the Juilliard School. He is an alumni of the Perlman Music Program and studied previously with Philippe Quint. He plays the Antonio Stradivarius, Cremona, “ex-Strauss,” 1708 on generous loan from Samsung Foundation of Culture.
Sphinx's Emerging Composer Fund focuses on transforming the classical music canon by systemically increasing the volume of commissions for living composers of color. Sphinx engages in direct commissions for its various artists, including our premiere touring ensembles, the Sphinx Virtuosi, and EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble. This fund directly supports commissioning fees, recording and publishing, performances, documentation, and dissemination of new music. Eight years ago, the percentage of composers of color whose works were being commissioned and played by major orchestras across America was effectively 0%. Last year's statistics indicate that the number collectively has grown to 23%, with more than 9% being attributed to Black composers alone. The cumulative number most affects women and BIPOC composers. Sphinx is proud to lead the charge through direct commissions, as well as its role as a regrantor and through its long-standing history in consortia commissions. We believe in investing in the voices of tomorrow while elevating and augmenting the classical music canon. Together, we can ensure that the American classical landscape is vibrant and inclusive of all voices comprising the rich mosaic of our communities nationwide.
This effort is made possible through the generous support of Keith and Renata Ward.
About the 2025 Commissioned Work
William Grant Still was the first Black composer I ever came to know, and his music continues to bring a sense of identity and purpose to my work as a classical musician. Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano is a powerful testament to the richness, resilience, and unwavering spirit of Black culture. Each movement was inspired by a sculpture created during the Harlem Renaissance, and each one depicts a unique facet of the Black experience. Looking back on how much this piece has meant to me in various stages of my life, I am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to arrange this incredible work for Solo Violin/Cello and String Orchestra.
The first movement is inspired by Richmond Barthé’s sculpture, “African Dancer,” through which Barthé aimed to portray the spirituality of our people. The movement begins with a powerful, unified declaration of power and presence, which quickly gives way to the rolling rhythms and accentuated steps of an African dance. Eventually, the dance shifts to a more mellow mood, marked by a soulful, singing melody in the solo part and swinging accompaniment in the orchestra. The dance then returns, vigorously carrying us through the end of the movement.
The second movement, “Mother and Child,” is the heart and soul of this piece, and is inspired by the work of Sargent Johnson. The relationship between mother and child is integral to the experience of every human being who ever lived. This was especially true for Sargent Johnson, who had lost both of his parents by the age of fifteen. Grant Still captured the heartache of Sargent Johnson’s experience, and yet still found a way to infuse the music with the tenderness of a loving mother, as well as the innocence of a child. The lyricism and sensitivity of this music always leaves me thinking of my mother, and all the love she poured into my siblings and me.
The final movement is derived from Augusta Savage’s sculpture, “Gamin,” depicting a mischievous young boy (specifically, Savage’s nephew, Ellis Ford) roaming the streets of Harlem. Grant Still, taking a page out of the book of blues and jazz, conjures up vivid imagery of a bustling city and a young boy taking it all in. There is so much joy and humour in this music, and I wanted to reflect that in the orchestra part. You will hear pops of pizzicato throughout the ensemble, as well as some jabs of call and response between the solo part and principal players that I hope will leave a smile on your face!
-Randall Goosby
Suite for Violin or Cello and String Orchestra Performances
2025
OCT 3 FRI | Zoellner Arts Center @ 7:30 PM | Bethlehem, PA
OCT 5 SUN | TBD | Boston, MA
OCT 8 WED | TBD | Wilmington, NC
OCT 10 FRI | TBD | Brevard, NC
OCT 16 THU | Philadelphia Chamber Music Society @ 7:30 PM | Philadelphia, PA | Get Tickets
OCT 17 FRI | Carnegie Hall @ 7:00 PM | New York City, NY | Get Tickets
OCT 19 SUN | Shriver Hall Concert Series @ 5:30 PM | Baltimore, MD | Get Tickets
OCT 21 TUE | Chamber Music Pittsburgh @ 7:30 PM | Pittsburgh, PA | Get Tickets
OCT 22 WED | TBD | Cleveland, OH
OCT 25 SAT | TBD | Urbana, IL
OCT 28 TUE | TBD | Minneapolis, MN
2026
FEB 19 THU | Schwartz Center for Performing Arts @ 8:00PM | Atlanta, GA | Get Tickets
FEB 21 SAT | UGA Performing Arts Center@ 7:30 PM | Athens, GA | Get Tickets
FEB 24 TUE | Auburn University @ 7:00 PM | Auburn, AL | Get Tickets
FEB 26 THU | TBD | Tallahassee, FL
MAR 05 THU | Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts @ 7:30 PM | Davis, CA | Get Tickets
MAR 07 SAT | TBD | Hayward, CA
MAR 11 WED| Philharmonic Society Presents @ 8:00 PM | Costa Mesa, CA | Get Tickets
MAR 12 THU | Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara @ 7:30 PM | Santa Barbara, CA | Get Tickets
MAR 15 SUN | TBD | Los Angeles, CA
Emerging Composers
2025 - Randall Goosby: Suite for Violin and Orchestra, William Grant Still (arr. for solo cello by Randall Goosby)
2024 - Levi Taylor: Daydreaming (A Fantasy on Scott Joplin)
2023 - Quenton Blache: Habari Gani