Joshua Roman

Cellist. Curator. Composer.

“Combines the expressive control of Casals with the creative individuality and virtuoso flair of Hendrix himself”

-Gramophone



Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone… and playful zest for exploration” (New York Times), as well as his “extraordinary technical and musical gifts" and “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom… that goes straight to the heart" (San Francisco Chronicle). His genre-bending programs and wide-ranging collaborations have grown out of an “enthusiasm for musical evolution that is as contagious as his love for the classics" (Seattle Times).

Committed to bringing Classical music to new audiences, Roman opened the acclaimed 2017 TED Conference, and his performance of the complete Bach Solo Cello Suites after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election was the most-viewed event in the history of TED’s social channels, with nearly a million live viewers. Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony-winner/MacArthur Genius Bill T. Jones, Grammy Award-winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tony Award-nominated actor Anna Deavere Smith.

Upcoming Schedule

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June 22, 2025
4pm

UC San Diego

Immunity
La Jolla, CA

Epstein Family Amphitheater

Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed by the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle for his “effortlessly expressive tone” as well as his “blend of precision and almost improvisatory freedom.” His debut solo album, Immunity, is an intimate musician exploration of his experiences with ongoing Long COVID that altered his entire life and nearly ended his career. This free live performance of the album shows the cellist at his most vulnerable and showcases the ultimate strength found in such vulnerability.

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July 7, 2025
7:30pm

Aspen Music Festival

Harris Concert Hall
Aspen, CO

Bach/Edgar Meyer: Sonata for Viola da Gamba in G Major, BWV 1027
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 1
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 4 (AMFS co-commission)
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 3

Longtime AMFS faculty member Edgar Meyer teams up with two budding superstars, the charismatic violinist Tessa Lark, and cellist Joshua Roman, the youngest principal player in Seattle Symphony history before he embarked on a solo career.

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July 9, 2025
7:30pm

Lark, Roman, and Meyer

Schaefer Center for the Performing
Boone, NC

Bach/Edgar Meyer: Sonata for Viola da Gamba in G Major, BWV 1027
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 1
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 4
Edgar Meyer: String Trio No. 3

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“...IT TAKES, AS THEY SAY, A VERY PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS TO PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THIS. BUT ROMAN — WHO, IN ADDITION TO BEING A FORMIDABLE MUSICIAN, BOASTS THE EASY, SUNNY CHARISMA OF A BOY-BAND FRONTMAN — IS JUST THE PERSON FOR THE JOB.”

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, JULY 2021 [JOSHUA KOSMAN]

Latest Album

October 4, 2024

Immunity

Immunity offers an intimate musical exploration of Roman’s life-altering experience of ongoing Long COVID

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