Performer Biographies

“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others”—Randall Goosby’s own words sum up perfectly his commitment to being an artist who makes a difference. Signed exclusively to Decca Classics in 2020 at the age of 24, American violinist Randall Goosby is acclaimed for the sensitivity and intensity of his musicianship alongside his determination to make music more inclusive and accessible, as well as bringing the music of under-represented composers to light.

Highlights of Randall Goosby’s 2023–24 season include debut performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons, National Symphony/Thomas Wilkins, Pittsburgh Symphony/Manfred Honeck, Seattle Symphony and St Louis Symphony both under Christian Reif, with European debuts including a European tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Danish National Radio Symphony/Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Oslo Philharmonic/Ryan Bancroft and Lahti Symphony/Dalia Stasevska.

During 2023–24 Goosby will be Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre, which will include a return to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 under the direction of Gemma New and feature both recital and chamber concerts. Other upcoming recital appearances include Chamber Music Cincinnati, Emory University in Georgia, Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall in Hamburg, Perth Concert Hall in Scotland, and La Società dei Concerti in Milan.

Summer 2023 includes Goosby’s debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival under Louis Langrée performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto as well as at Marlboro Music. Previous engagements have included the Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nezet-Seguin, San Francisco Symphony/Esa-Pekka Salonen, returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra/Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Los Angeles Philharmonic/Dalia Stasevska, Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Tabita Berglund, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Karina Canellakis. Goosby made his debuts in South Korea in recital and in Japan with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa/Kahchun Wong performing Bruch Violin Concerto in G minor. In summer 2022, he returned to the Hollywood Bowl with his mentor, Itzhak Perlman, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In spring 2023, Goosby’s debut concerto album was released for Decca Classics together with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra performing the violin concertos by Max Bruch and Florence Price. Gramophone Magazine observed: “There’s an honesty and modesty…This playing isn’t dressed to impress but to express.”

Goosby’s first album for Decca, entitled Roots, is a celebration of African-American music which explores its evolution from the spiritual through to present-day compositions. Collaborating with pianist Zhu Wang, Goosby curated an album paying homage to the pioneering artists that paved the way for him and other artists of color. It features three world-premiere recordings of music written by African-American composer Florence Price, and includes works by composers William Grant Still and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, plus a newly commissioned piece by acclaimed double bassist Xavier Foley, a fellow Sphinx and Young Concert Artists alumnus.

Goosby is deeply passionate about inspiring and serving others through education, social engagement and outreach activities. He has enjoyed working with non-profit organizations such as the Opportunity Music Project and Concerts in Motion in New York City, as well as participating in community engagement programs for schools, hospitals and assisted living facilities across the United States. In 2022–23, Goosby hosted a residency with the Iris Collective in Memphis with pianist Zhu Wang. Together they explore how the students’ family history can relate to music and building community collaboration through narrative and performances.

Randall Goosby was First Prize Winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In 2019, he was named the inaugural Robey Artist by the Young Classical Artists Trust in partnership with Music Masters in London; in 2020, he became an Ambassador for Music Masters, a role that sees him mentoring and inspiring students in schools around the United Kingdom. In 2010 he won first prize in the Sphinx Concerto Competition; he is a recipient of Sphinx’s Isaac Stern Award, a career advancement grant from the Bagby Foundation, and the 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant. An active chamber musician, he has spent his summers studying at the Perlman Music Program, Verbier Festival Academy, and Mozarteum Summer Academy among others.

Goosby made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age nine and with the New York Philharmonic on a Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall at age 13. A former student of Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho, he received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Artist Diploma degrees from the Juilliard School. He is an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program.

Praised as “especially impressive” and “a thoughtful, sensitive performer” who “balanced lyrical warmth and crisp clarity” (Tommasini—The New York Times), pianist Zhu Wang was awarded First Prize in the 2020 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. He is also the first-prize winner of the 2nd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians, 4th Manhattan International Music Competition, Hilton Head Young Artist Piano Competition, the Juilliard Gina Bachauer International Scholarship Piano Competition, and the Juilliard Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship. In 2019, Zhu was one of three finalists in the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition, and he has been a featured soloist on WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts.

Celebrated for his “technical mastery and deep sense of lyricism” (The Durango Herald), Zhu has appeared in recitals at Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars Series, Southampton Rising Stars, Music at Dumbarton Oaks, The Morgan Library & Museum, Hayden’s Ferry Chamber Music Series, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Salon de Virtuosi, and Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, which made The New York Times’ “Best of Classical Music 2021” list.

An avid chamber musician, he has appeared with Chamber Music Detroit, Vancouver Recital Society, La Jolla Music Society, Stanford Live, Hamilton College, Howland Chamber Music Series, Chesapeake Music, Clarion Concerts, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Music@Menlo, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Since his orchestral debut at age 14 with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, where he performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, recent and upcoming include the Columbus Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Aiken Symphony, as well as a performance this season at Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony, with conductors such as Rossen Milanov, Paolo Bortolameolli, Robert Moody, and Wes Kinney.

Zhu has performed all over the world in China, Korean, Italy, Poland, Japan, at prestigious venues including the Kammermusiksaal of Berliner Philharmonie, Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, Shanghai Concert Hall and as soloist with Salzburg Chamber Soloists, Zermatt Music Festival Orchestra, Brunensis Virtuosi Orchestra, and the Xiamen Philharmonic. This season he will perform with Randall Goosby at Queen Elizabeth Hall in South Bank.

Zhu has been honored to study with and perform for many influential pianists, including Gary Graffman, Arie Vardi, Fou Ts’ong, Stephen Hough, Murray Perahia, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert Levin, Matti Raekallio, and Jeremy Denk. He is also the recipient of special prizes for the best Waltz, Preludes, and Mazurka in the 5th International Chopin Young Artist Piano Competition and the 16th Asian Chopin International Piano Competition in Japan.

A native of Hunan, China, Zhu started learning piano at the age of five. He is a graduate of the Music Middle School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Zhe Tang and Fou Ts'ong. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, and is currently pursuing his Masters from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald. He gratefully acknowledges the support of the Bagby Foundation for the Musical Arts.