Q&A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger
Jay Nordlinger
Feature
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November 27, 2024
The Cello, COVID, and Courage
Joshua Roman is a cellist, a superb musician. Lately, he has been engaged in something called “the Immunity Project.” About four years ago, Roman contracted long COVID, which turned his life upside down. He is an example of resiliency and good cheer—an inspiration. He and Jay talk about the heart of things.
Performance Today, Your Classical
Fred Child
Feature
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November 22, 2024
Joshua Roman: Immunity
Cellist Joshua Roman almost quit music altogether after developing Long Covid in 2021, but an encounter with Bach reminded him that the cello has been his lifelong friend. He's now shifted his mindset to center human connection over perfection in music and life.
WQXR
Elliot Forest
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November 4, 2024
Artist Check-in With Joshua Roman
Elliott Forrest interviews cellist and composer Joshua Roman about his latest album, Immunity, which is inspired by his own battles with Long COVID. Immunity includes diverse works by J.S. Bach, Caroline Shaw, Leonard Cohen, and more, woven into a poignant story of resilience. The album is available now, and you can see a special performance of the work at the Crypt in Manhattan on November 15.
The Strad
Thomas May
Acclaim
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October 17, 2024
Concert review: Lark, Roman and Meyer Trio
US correspondent Thomas May attended the trio concert of Bach and music by Meyer himself at the University of Washington’s Meany Center for the Arts in Seattle, WA.
“...the threesome sounded as though they were a veteran band that’s been on the road for decades."
Violinist.com
Laurie Niles
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October 3, 2024
For the Record, Op. 302: Cellist Joshua Roman; Emily Sun; Julia Glenn
Immunity is an intimate musical exploration of cellist Joshua Roman’s life-altering, inspiring experience of ongoing long Covid, with music ranging from J.S. Bach to George Crumb to Caroline Shaw, as well as Roman’s own compositions.
The Pitch
Alexej Savreux
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September 18, 2024
Joshua Roman transcends his experiences with long-COVID through song
What does it mean to be immune? Internationally acclaimed cellist Joshua Roman explores the contours of immunity on his debut solo album and a performance project and concert series titled “Immunity.”
The Daily Sentinel
Jace DiCola
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September 14, 2024
Renowned cellist with long COVID performs for Fruita's post-COVID clinic
More than four years since contracting long COVID, [Joshua] Roman made it his mission to show other people with long COVID that there is a light at the end of the tunnel by telling his story through a mix of narrative and cello performances.
Lawrence Journal-World
Josie Heimsoth
Feature
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September 2, 2024
Cellist and composer Joshua Roman will tell his story with long COVID on musical tour
It was a Friday night after cellist and composer Joshua Roman performed Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto — a piece he looked forward to playing again the following day — when everything changed.
He was positive for COVID-19, and while he expected to only be sick for a week, it wasn’t long until he realized his symptoms weren’t going away.
The New York Times
Pam Belluck
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August 17, 2024
A Virtuoso Cellist’s Painstaking Path From Long Covid Back to the Stage
For over three years, long Covid has presented Joshua Roman with health challenges — and has indelibly shaped the music he makes.
“This is the first time that I’m putting together something of this breadth and depth. Before, I wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable... I am trying to really remind myself that you don’t know what comes later, now is all you ever have.”
Santa Barbara Independent
Josef Woodard
Feature
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June 5, 2024
Academy on the Ritz, with Serious Cellist Business
But the real centerpiece of the evening’s musical menu arrived in the inviting space of Hahn Hall via a mini-recital by Joshua Roman. A proud Academy alum (2002) and a respected cellist with a broad, adventurous musical perspective, which he also brings to his teaching at Juilliard, Roman was dubbed by Yo-Yo Ma as “one of the great cellists of the 21st century.”
WOSU Classical 101
Jennifer Hambrick
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March 18, 2024
‘Being human is better than being perfect:’ A cellist’s journey with long COVID
In January 2021 cellist and composer Joshua Roman tested positive for COVID-19. More than three years later, and after being diagnosed with a COVID-related neurological condition, Roman is still living with those and other symptoms, in what has now been diagnosed as long COVID.
The Violin Channel
The Violin Channel
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December 1, 2023
Cellist Joshua Roman Presents Concert Exploring the Effects of Long COVID
The program documents Roman's journey as he battled with the illness and eventually healed well enough to return to his performing career.
"Titled Immunity, this program traces Roman's journey through the doubt, struggle, refocus, and renewal he went through as he decided whether or not he would be able to return to his performing career."
Oregon ArtsWatch
James Bash
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October 10, 2023
Footloose and fancy free: Leonard Slatkin with Oregon Symphony
After a gap of many years, the conductor/composer/author returns to Portland for a concert of Mason Bates, Beethoven, and Elgar’s ‘Cello Concerto’ with Joshua Roman.
“[Elgar's Cello Concerto] has an all-encompassing view of the human condition. The breadth of emotion and the scope that he captured in this piece is amazing. A hundred years have passed since he wrote it, and it still resonates strongly.”
NBC News
Erika Edwards
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September 25, 2023
A blood test for long Covid is possible, a study suggests
The findings offer hope to patients like Joshua Roman, 39, of New York City, who participated in the study.
"We're in such a mysterious swamp of symptoms," he said. "My long Covid treatment is just management of symptoms."
Deutschlandfunk
Andreas Robertz
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July 12, 2023
Mysticism and Long Covid: How a New York cellist deals with his illness
Joshua Ronan's voice: Long COVID can mean a whole range of things. In the beginning, everything simply stopped. Everything came to a complete halt. I couldn't play the cello at all.
San Francisco Chronicle
Joshua Kosman
Acclaim
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July 31, 2021
Review: Charismatic S.F. Symphony soloist blends Schumann, Leonard Cohen
It’s not every day you hear an instrumentalist at a classical orchestral concert sing a pop song as an encore. But crazy times demand crazy responses, as cellist Joshua Roman told the San Francisco Symphony audience in Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, July 30.
Chicago Tribune
John von Rhein
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October 13, 2015
Composer, solo cellist: Both hats fit Joshua Roman just fine
The centuries-old tradition of the composer-performer has pretty much fallen by the wayside in our increasingly specialized classical music era, when the creators and re-creators of music do their thing more or less independently, typically coming together only when it serves their purposes.