Randall Goosby has already graced some of the world’s most famous concert halls. Over the next three years, however, the virtuoso violinist will turn part of his attention off-stage, bringing the same artistry and passion to Greater Cincinnati communities through a new partnership with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
The CSO has appointed Goosby as its inaugural community artist-in-residence, a role focused on creative collaboration and connecting with the public across the region. The three-year position builds on Goosby’s relationship with the orchestra and includes work in classrooms, neighborhood spaces and Cincinnati-area organizations.
Goosby will begin the residency this season, partnering closely with the CSO’s community engagement and learning departments to expand how and where audiences experience orchestral music.
“(Goosby’s) passion for community building and dedication to making music more accessible to all aligns perfectly with our mission to seek and share inspiration as well as our vision of becoming the most relevant orchestra in America,” said Harold Brown, CSO chief inclusion officer . “We look forward to working with Goosby and fostering new relationships within Cincinnati through music.”
A budding international career with Cincinnati ties
While the residency emphasizes local connection, Goosby arrives in Cincinnati with a career shaped on some of the world’s most prominent stages. Despite his young age, he has built an international reputation defined by technical intensity and expressive depth.
The 30-year-old’s U.S. appearances include the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Internationally, he has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Orchestre National de France, including appearances at the Philharmonie de Paris and the BBC Proms.
Cincinnati audiences first encountered Goosby in 2023, when he made his CSO debut performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with then-Music Director Louis Langrée. He returned during the 2024-25 season as a guest artist under Music Director Cristian Măcelaru, performing Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Ernest Chausson’s “Poème.”
Beyond performance, Goosby’s career has been shaped by teaching, advocacy and leadership. The San Diego native joined the violin faculty of the Juilliard School’s preparatory division. He is the recipient of the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the inaugural Harmony for Change Award from Midori & Friends, and was named the first Robey Artist by Young Classical Artists Trust in partnership with Music Masters in London.
In 2020, he became an ambassador for Music Masters, mentoring students across the United Kingdom.
That commitment to broadening access and representation is also reflected in his recordings. His debut album, “Roots,” centers on music by Black composers and includes premiere recordings of works by Florence Price, alongside pieces by William Grant Still, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Xavier Foley.
Building a strong community connection
Those values underpin the residency itself, which formalizes a relationship with the CSO that has been developing for several seasons and extends far beyond onstage performances.
For the 2024-25 season, Goosby served as the orchestra’s MAC Music Innovator, a designation supported by the CSO’s Multicultural Awareness Council for musicians dedicated to education and community involvement. In that role, he participated in a dozen community activities across Cincinnati, including masterclasses, student workshops and performances at high schools, the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
As Community Artist-in-Residence, Goosby will continue that work while expanding his presence across the region, bringing performances and education into spaces where the orchestra’s reach has traditionally been limited. Planned activities include visits with local students at the Winton Hills Recreation Center and the Dudley-Taft Boys and Girls Club in March, a performance during this season’s Classical Roots Concert and a featured appearance on a CSO subscription program during the 2027–28 season with Măcelaru.
The CSO will announce additional events over the next several seasons.
“During my time as MAC Music Innovator, I was so grateful to have met and worked with community organizations, student groups and music programs across the city,” Goosby said. “I look forward to fostering an even greater sense of community and collaboration over the next few seasons, with the help of my friends at the CSO.”
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