Critics’ takes on Joshua Roman

“If all musicians were as affable as cellist Joshua Roman, there’d be no chatter about classical music and how it is in jeopardy or doomed to die a slow death in cavernous concert halls.”

— San Francisco Classical Voice (Lou Fancher)

“Roman sang his own gorgeous and nostalgic melodies with warm, expressive sound, a partner to the orchestra. … In the final movement, the solo cello has set the orchestra free in a sort of concerto for orchestra full of dissonant harmonies percolating in shifting rhythms, swelling with the strings into a gorgeous flowering of melody and harmony redolent of the silver screen. Roman entered with glittering jazz- and rock- inspired passagework, and together the musicians pressed to the end, a classical concert soloist at ease in the midst of an orchestra with a rock drum beat and greeting a standing ovation at the very end.”

— Columbus Dispatch (Jennifer Hambrick)

“The work’s dedicatee proved to be a real champion of this contemporary piece, one that is destined to become a repertory staple. … Roman’s persuasive playing ably captured the finale’s jaunty nature, a lilting quality that was infectious. … His encore … further cemented Roman’s reputation as one of classical music’s most intriguing stars.”

— The Oklahoman (Rick Rogers)