Joshua Roman is a cello soloist and composer, hailed for his “effortlessly expressive tone ... and playful zest for exploration” (The 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” (The Seattle Times).

Committed to bringing Classical music to new audiences, Mr. Roman has collaborated with world-class artists across genres and disciplines, including Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Tony Award winner and MacArthur Genius grant winner Bill T. Jones, Grammy Award–winning East African vocalist Somi, and Tony Award–nominated actor Anna Deavere Smith. His concert of the complete Bach Cello Suites after the 2016 US presidential election had nearly a million live viewers, and his solo performance with the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall was viewed by 33 million people across nearly 200 countries, with Yo-Yo Ma introducing him as “one of the great exemplars of the ideal 21st century musician.”

As a soloist with an “exceptionally high quality of performances” (Los Angeles Times), Mr. Roman has performed with leading orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony, BBC Scottish, and Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Music Academy of the West, Illinois Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Roman has also premiered new works composed for him by Mason Bates, Reena Esmail, Timo Andres, Gabriela Lena Frank, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lisa Bielawa, and others.

For the 2023–2024 season, Mr. Roman will continue as Las Vegas Philharmonic’s inaugural artist-in-residence, and will perform as a soloist with the Detroit, Oregon, Monterey, Vermont, and Greenville symphonies. His ongoing trio project with Edgar Meyer and Tessa Lark will also have a performance at the acclaimed Big Ears Festival. This academic year, he joins The Juilliard School as a creative associate where he will be workshopping collaborations and mentoring students across all of Juilliard’s disciplines over two semesters.

Jasmine Edwards is a doctoral music education fellow focusing on music therapy at NYU Steinhardt. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music therapy from Florida State University and New York University. Her clinical experience includes private-practice, outpatient, school-based, and medical-pediatric settings. She is trained in NICU­–Music Therapy, First Sounds: Rhythm, Breath, and Lullaby, and Austin Vocal Psychotherapy. She has a vested interest in elevating dialogue about cultural humility within both the education and clinical practice of music therapy. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the music therapy departments at Howard University, New York University, Montclair State University, Nazareth University, Duquesne University, and Molloy University.