Alumnus premiered work and made conducting debut at festival

Cellist Joshua Roman (BM'04/MM'05), 31, is another CIM graduate taking an active role in building the next repertoire – as demonstrated by the world premiere of his work we do it to one another at a Music Academy of the West concert on August 2, 2014.

Influenced by and reflecting the current culture, Roman based his nine-part song cycle on poems from the (2012) Pulitzer Prize-winning collection Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith. In yet another first for this young composer/virtuoso, Roman also made his orchestral conducting debut at the concert.

The evening’s program began with Roman conducting Christopher Cerrone’s The Night Mare and performing Alfred Schnittke’s Sonata for Cello and Piano. Following the intermission, he conducted the premiere of his own composition as well as Sean Friar’s Scale 9.

This is Roman’s second year as Alumnus-in-Residence at the Music Academy, who commissioned the work as the culmination of Roman’s two-week residency there. The concert, originating in Santa Barbara, was simulcast online around the world, with a start time of 8pm Pacific Time (11pm Eastern).

In 2012, CIM honored Roman by bestowing upon him the CIM Alumni Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the world of classical and chamber music.

To learn more about the concert and webcast, visit the Music Academy’s website at musicacademy.org.