LV Phil Announces Arts and Impact Residence With Cellist Joshua Roman

Las Vegas Philharmonic (LVP) announces a bold new addition to its Music SPARK program with the Arts & Impact Residency, established to utilize performance and partnership to create change through collaboration. A multi-year residency with world-class cellist and TED Fellow, Joshua Roman, the program will foster deeper community engagement and service through meaningful partnerships, performances in unexpected locations and increased focus on providing local music students with resources, professional guidance and support. Roman will be imbedded with the LVP for the next three seasons with primary goals of formalizing and growing chamber music programs and presentations as well as creating new, powerful collaborations with various institutions that serve the well-being of the Las Vegas community at large (be it artistic, social justice or education based).

The second program to debut under the Philharmonic's recently formed Music SPARK umbrella, the Arts & Impact Residency embodies the LVP's commitment to building community through music, enriching lives through culture and igniting passion through education. Established as a sustaining program with a three-year term for the Artist in Residence, the residency will become a permanent part of the organization's education offerings and at the end of his residency, Roman will assist in the selection of the next Artist in Residence.

Roman is an in-demand cellist, composer and curator whose performances embrace musical styles from Bach to Radiohead. Before setting off on his unique path as a soloist, Roman was the Seattle Symphony's principal cellist - a job he began at just 22 years of age and left only two years later. He has since become renowned for his genre-bending repertoire and wide-ranging collaborations. Roman was named a TED Senior Fellow in 2015 and his live performance of the complete Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach on TED's Facebook Page garnered 1.8M live viewers, with millions more for his Main Stage TED Talks/Performances. His numerous outreach endeavors have taken him to Uganda with his violin-playing siblings, where they played chamber music in schools, HIV/AIDS centers and displacement camps. He currently serves as Artistic Director of Town Music at Town Hall Seattle, a series that champions the classic canon and cutting-edge repertoire.

"I am thrilled to be working with Joshua Roman to launch our Arts & Impact Residency," shares Lacey Huszcza, executive director of Las Vegas Philharmonic. "Having collaborated with him during my tenure in Los Angeles, I experienced first-hand the passion and dedication he brings to his work, whether performing on a large stage or working with students and under-served populations in less glamourous settings. He truly embodies the belief that all people benefit from and deserve access to music and art. A tireless advocate for building community, he's the ideal candidate to serve as our inaugural Artist in Residence as we continue to achieve new heights of artistic excellence and community impact," she adds.

Roman shares, "I'm grateful to the entire Las Vegas Philharmonic family for creating the Arts & Impact Residency and presenting me with the opportunity to explore the exciting cultural scene of Las Vegas. I look forward to making connections with local artists from across a wide spectrum of backgrounds, styles, and disciplines, and engaging with the community in a variety of settings." Adding, "It is my goal to inspire a sense of discovery and excitement about what the arts can do for us and find new and unique ways to highlight the existing skill and pride of the people of Las Vegas."

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