“For me, personally, music has been a way to inspire others” — 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. Goosby was recently appointed to The Juilliard School’s preparatory division and joined the pre-college violin faculty in the fall of 2025.
Highlights of Randall Goosby’s 2025–26 season include debut performances with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin, Orchestre National de France and Cristian Măcelaru, KBS Symphony and Peter Oundjian and the San Diego Symphony with Kahchun Wong. Goosby also returns to the San Francisco, Pittsburgh and New Jersey symphony orchestras. He appears in recital across North America and Europe with pianist Zhu Wang, as well as with the Renaissance Quartet, and joins clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Joshua Mhoon in a program presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.
The summer of 2025 included Goosby’s debut at the Bravo! Vail Music Festival with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Marin Alsop performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, and at the Verbier Festival performing solo and chamber recitals. Goosby also returned to The Cleveland Orchestra with Marie Jacquot and joined the Music Academy of the West as a Mosher Guest Artist. Previous engagements have included debut performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder, Minnesota Orchestra with Thomas Søndergård, National Arts Centre Orchestra and Alexander Shelley, Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Dalia Stasevska and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic with Michele Mariotti. Goosby joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra on their 2024 U.S. tour led by Edward Gardner, performing Barber’s Violin Concerto. Since the 2024–25 season, Goosby has been a member of Konzerthaus Dortmund’s series “Junge Wilde.”
Goosby’s debut album for Decca, titled Roots, is a celebration of African American music, exploring its evolution from the spiritual to present-day compositions. Roots, created in collaboration with pianist Zhu Wang, pays homage to the pioneering artists that paved the way for Goosby and other artists of color. It features three world premiere recordings of music written by African American composer Florence Price, as well as works by William Grant Still and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson plus a newly commissioned piece by acclaimed double bassist Xavier Foley, a fellow Sphinx Organization and Young Concert Artists alumnus. Roots: Deluxe Edition was released in spring 2024 and features new recordings of music by Carlos Simon, William Grant Still and Florence Price.
In the spring of 2023, Goosby’s debut concerto album was released for Decca Classics and featured violin concertos by Max Bruch and Florence Price with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Gramophone observed, “There’s an honesty and modesty.…This playing isn’t dressed to impress but to express.”
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 U.S. Goosby collaborates frequently with the Iris Collective, an organization based in his hometown of Memphis that builds community through music education and creative engagement. Goosby was the inaugural recipient of the 2024 Harmony for Change Award presented by Midori & Friends and was named the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s 2024–25 MAC Music Innovator, a season-long residency in which he curated and led community engagement activities with young musicians and at historic cultural sites throughout the city of Cincinnati.
Randall Goosby began studying violin at the age of 7 and made his solo debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at age 9. Four years later, at 13, he became the youngest first prize winner of the Sphinx Competition, which led to debut performances with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and New World Symphony the following year.
A former student of Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School. He is an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program and studied previously with Philippe Quint.
He plays the Antonio Stradivarius, Cremona, “ex-Strauss,” 1708 on generous loan from Samsung Foundation of Culture. randallgoosby.com