Celebrated cellist Joshua Roman shares the Lawrence Memorial Chapel stage with the JACK Quartet Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m. in a combined Lawrence University Artist Series and New Music Series concert.
Tickets for the performance, at $25-30 for adults, $20-25 for seniors, $18-20 for students, are available through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.
Internationally celebrated for his wide-ranging performances, Roman has earned critical acclaim for his ability to communicate the essence of music in visionary ways. In 2006 at the age of 22, he was named principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, becoming the youngest principal player in the symphony’s history. He also serves as artistic director of Town Music in Seattle, where he showcases his own eclectic music influences and promotes newly commissioned works.
Horacio Contreras, who teaches cello in the Lawrence conservatory of music, calls Roman “a world-class cellist and a socially engaged artist.”
“Joshua Roman is an excellent model of some of the directions a dynamic music career can take,” said Contreras, who also studied with one of Roman’s main cello mentors, Richard Aaron. “He is always collaborating with living composers and artists, having premiered and commissioned works by some of the most relevant composers of today.”
Founded in 2005 and based in New York City, the JACK Quartet — violinists Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman, violist John Pickford Richards and cellist Jay Campbell — was hailed as “superheroes of the new music world” by the Boston Globe. They have performed to critical acclaim domestically at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well as internationally at London’s Wigmore Hall and Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival.
The JACK Quartet has been recognized with the Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, New Music USA’s Trailblazer Award and the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
