Winner of the 2018 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Roderick Cox has been Minnesota Orchestra’s associate conductor and assistant conductor, where the Minnesota Star-Tribune called him a “trailblazer.” He was also the assistant conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra. Currently based in Berlin, Cox appears with orchestras worldwide. Highlights among recent engagements as a guest conductor include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Grand Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony. Cox has also appeared at the Lanaudière Festival with the Orchestre Metropolitan de Montréal and the Grant Park Festival in Chicago. He conducted a performance for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C.
When did you realize you wanted to be a conductor and why?
It seems like forever ago that I’ve wanted a life in music, somehow or someway. That dream first started with my desire to be a teacher; my first degree is in music education. I sometimes forget I am licensed to teach K-12 music, which is probably why I am so passionate about music education to this day. However, that license may have expired now. Attending graduate school for conducting at Northwestern University, I thought I would become a college professor in music — teaching conducting and working with wind ensembles.
Becoming a professional orchestral conductor was this wild, crazy dream buried in my subconscious, a dream I didn’t know was truly there until a professor of mine at Northwestern told me, “You should be conducting orchestra.” From that moment, the dream was fully awoken. It became a goal, and in not too long, I felt it was my destiny. I simply had to conduct, and nothing else mattered.
What do you find most rewarding about leading an orchestra?
Leading an orchestra is the culmination of many things happening all at once, which is quite gratifying. Not only is it the work, creative genius, and compositional skills of the composer you’re witnessing but also that of the performers. We all come from different places, backgrounds, universities, music instruction, and traditions. However, in that very moment, we are unified around one common goal. That goal is to present a polished, well-informed, and moving performance to audiences. That is what makes the classical music art form so special.
How can a symphonic orchestra be part of a thriving, diverse community?
By programming diverse and wide-ranging types of repertoire to meet the needs of that community it serves. Engaging artists and administrators who can connect with members of that community and can share in its common interest has to be a priority.
What do you wish to communicate to people with the music you’ll conduct while you’re here?
I do not approach a performance with a particular objective in terms of what I want the audience to feel because I believe the experience could and should be different for each person. The beauty of this great art form is that there is always room for the music’s meaning and overall feeling to be interpreted differently. I hope to communicate a clear and concise interpretation of the works I am performing and will leave it to the audience to find their own meaning in what they just heard.
What’s the highlight of the Oct. 26 program you’ll conduct while you’re here?
I hesitate to say there is a particular highlight because there are amazing aspects of each piece I personally enjoy, which is why I chose them. The Tchaikovsky is a rare and amazing tone poem that is often not heard, even though it is over 100 years old. It is a piece I have been in love with for several years now and am thrilled I have found the place and the orchestra to finally perform it.
What are you looking forward to seeing and doing in Richmond?
When I am working in a city, it is quite hard to get out and explore much because of the demands of the job. However, one thing I enjoy and try to do is go for walks around the city and enjoy the local restaurant scene. It is also important to explore a few museums and get a sense of the pulse in the community. I do not believe I have been to Richmond before, so arriving in a new city is always a thrill.
