Randall goosby
VIOLIN
“An exquisite tone and sheer virtuosity.”
“With his secure technique, natural phrasing, gorgeous tone and smart programming, Randall Goosby has everything it takes.”
“In a perfect balance of intelligent artistry and showmanship, he brought down the house.”
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“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others” – 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. Goosby was recently appointed to Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division and joins the Pre-College violin faculty beginning in Fall 2025.
Highlights of Randall Goosby’s 2025/26 season include debut performances with the Atlanta Symphony/Leonard Slatkin, Orchestre National de France/Cristian Măcelaru, KBS Symphony/Peter Oundjian, and San Diego Symphony/Kahchun Wong. Goosby returns to the San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony. He appears in recital across North America and Europe with pianist Zhu Wang as well as with the Renaissance Quartet, and joins clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Joshua Mhoon in a program presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
Summer 2025 includes Goosby’s debut at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Marin Alsop performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, and at the Verbier Festival where he performs solo and chamber recitals. Goosby returns to the Cleveland Orchestra with Marie Jacquot, and joins the Music Academy of the West as a Mosher Guest Artist. Previous engagements have included debut performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder, Minnesota Orchestra/Thomas Søndergård, National Arts Centre Orchestra/Alexander Shelley, Montreal Symphony Orchestra/Dalia Stasevska, and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic/Michele Mariotti. Goosby joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra on their 2024 U.S. tour led by Edward Gardner performing Barber’s Violin Concerto. As of 2024/25, Goosby is a member of Konzerthaus Dortmund’s series “Junge Wilde”.
Goosby’s debut 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 Organization 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.
In spring 2023, Goosby’s debut concerto album was released for Decca Classics together with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra performing 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 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. Goosby collaborates frequently with the Iris Collective, an organization based in his hometown of Memphis, TN which builds community through music education and creative engagement. Goosby was the inaugural recipient of the 2024 Harmony for Change Award presented by Midori & Friends and also named the Cincinnati Symphony’s 24/25 MAC Music Innovator, a season-long residency in which he curated and lead community engagement activities with young musicians, and at historic cultural sites throughout the city of Cincinnati.
Randall Goosby began studying violin at the age of seven, and made his solo debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age nine. Four years later, he became the youngest First Prize winner of the Sphinx Competition at thirteen, leading to debut performances with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and New World Symphony the following year.
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.
“A violinist whose star is very much in the ascendant”
“There’s an honesty and modesty – about his playing that stands him apart. It’s so refreshing to note an absence of excess in either sound or feeling. This playing isn’t dressed to impress but to express.”
“Goosby’s breathtaking delivery – perfection meets panache – giving Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto a fresh, exhilarating lick of paint.”
“His slow movement was the perfect synthesis of simplicity and nuance, the rustic zest of the finale heightened by hi-octane physicality and the teasing playfulness he infectiously injected.”
“Remember this name: Randall Goosby. The 20-something American violinist wowed with an electrifying performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Saturday.”
“He communicated with warmth and beauty of tone from the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s concerto. The violinist’s lyrical themes were deeply expressive, and he dispatched its fireworks without breaking a sweat. The first movement’s cadenza had muscular intensity, and he reached for the high harmonics with pinpoint precision.”
“He exerted a masterly level of control and lavished an exquisite tone... His performance won him a deserved standing ovation for its sheer virtuosity.”
“With his secure technique, natural phrasing, gorgeous tone and smart programming, Randall Goosby has everything it takes.”
“Goosby is not only technically impressive, but he also has those rare qualities of a first-class soloist: charisma for days, and the strong point of view of an artist with a distinct voice.”
“With his lush, warm tone and exceptional technique, Goosby is easily winning over music lovers.”
“Goosby plays like an angel with nothing to prove. A cool, calm, collected angel. The slow movement was infused with an imperturbable serenity, perhaps the single most elusive state to achieve in the Hollywood Bowl. He is poised for the big time.”
“What makes ‘Roots’ most impressive is how its mix of mastery and mystery leaves one with that rarest of pleasures — something sometimes reserved for the opening notes of well-worn concertos: a first impression worth repeating.”
“The works, by virtue of being adapted from songs, bring out the alluring lyricism of Goosby’s playing, which has a tinge of golden-age tenderness and expressive portamento.”