Richard Rood (violinist)
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Richard Rood (born November, 1955 in
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio) is an American Grammy Award-winning
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
ist based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. His career has spanned classical music, chamber music, contemporary jazz, and commercial music including Broadway and film soundtracks. Rood is one of the Concertmasters of the
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards, and are known for their collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, i ...
, a 1st violinist of the
New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...
, the Associate Concertmaster of the
Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the f ...
, and Concertmaster of the Performance Santa Fe Orchestra. He is also a Principal player with the American Symphony Orchestra and a member of the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra. He has performed with The
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and has appeared as Concertmaster of
Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler P ...
, Orchestra of St. Luke's, the
Brooklyn Philharmonic There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence f ...
, and the Collegiate Choral. Rood also performed as a Principal violinist with Lincoln Center's
Mostly Mozart Festival The Mostly Mozart Festival was an American classical music festival based in New York City. Venues The festival presented concerts with its resident ensemble, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, principally at David Geffen Hall of the Lincoln ...
for fifteen years. Rood has performed in over 20 countries, appeared on over 75 recordings, been nominated for Grammy Awards for recordings with the Harmonie Ensemble, John Patitucci, and the Atlantic Symphonietta. In 2000, as a member of
Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...
, he won a
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
Award for the album Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures. ''The New York Times'' praised him as "an especially fine young violinist", and the Newark Star-Ledger similarly raved that "he is worth his weight in gold". His recordings of concerti of
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
and
Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...
have been critically acclaimed, as well as chamber recordings of
Copland Copland may refer to: * Copland (crater), on Mercury * Copland (operating system) * Copland (surname) * Copland River in New Zealand * 4532 Copland, an asteroid named after Aaron Copland * Aaron Copland, American composer See also * Copeland (dis ...
and Dvořák. His recordings of the Terzetto and Octet Serenade on the Dvorak Discoveries CD were recognized by ''The New York Times'' as one of their "Five Favorite CDs" for the 2004 Dvorak Centennial. Rood received an
Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...
in 2010 as a member of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Richard Rood can also be heard on some of the most recognizable recordings in pop music including Oscar winning song “My Heart Will Go On” sung by Celine Dion, featured in the film Titanic, movie soundtracks including Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show, and even the violin solo in Britney Spears’ album cut “When Your Eyes Say It.” Stephen Sondheim was especially impressed with his talent and sight reading abilities, he personally hired him to come play excerpts of upcoming musical projects for private parties.


Career

Highlights of his career include his first solo TV appearance at the age of 12, a solo Bach appearances in
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
as a Swiss violin competition 1st prize winner at the age of 18, and performances as soloist in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante at the Lincoln Center Mostly Mozart Festival. Rood has held 1st violin positions with
Steve Reich Stephen Michael Reich ( ; born October 3, 1936) is an American composer best known as a pioneer of minimal music in the mid to late 1960s. Reich's work is marked by its use of repetitive figures, slow harmonic rhythm, and canons. Reich descr ...
and Musicians, and the Music Today ensembles, performing over 100 premiers. He has also held positions in An Die Musik and the Omega ensembles performing residencies and tours throughout the United States. In addition he is a former principal player with Solisti New York, Philharmonia Virtuosi, and the
New York Chamber Symphony The New York Chamber Symphony (NYCS) was an American chamber orchestra based in New York City. It was active from 1977 to 2002. It was founded in 1977 by its founding music director Gerard Schwarz, and Omus Hirshbein. Its original name was the Y C ...
(20 years). Having performed in over 20 countries he has been frequently sought after as a guest artist with Speculum Musicae, Eos, Da Capo, Harmonie, North Country, Houston Da Camera, and the American Chamber Ensembles. In addition to being one of the most active and visible violinists in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, Rood is on the faculty at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
as an adjunct violin professor, and has coached at the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
,
Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
, and the Interlochen Arts Academy through the Orpheus Institute. He has also given masterclasses at the Masterworks Festival, SUNY Potsdam, and the Norwalk Youth Symphony, and judged competitions at the Juilliard School, New York Youth Symphony, and New Jersey Youth Symphony. Rood is also active in the genre of jazz. With Orpheus, he recorded with
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...
, on the Grammy Award-winning "
Gershwin's World ''Gershwin's World'' is a thirty-seventh studio album by the American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. It contains songs written by George Gershwin, George and Ira Gershwin, and their contemporaries. It features several prominent musicians, includin ...
." He has also recorded on several occasions with jazz bassist
John Patitucci John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer. Biography John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing the electric bass at age 10, performing and composing at age 12, and at age 15, s ...
, leading to three additional
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
Award nominations. Richard has also performed with such contemporary jazz greats as
Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...
and
Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...
. Rood received bachelor's and master's degree from the
Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
. His principal teachers include Margaret Randall, Charles Castleman, and Raphael Bronstein. Rood is married to violinist Denise Rood and they reside in
Pelham Manor Pelham Manor is an affluent village located in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 5,752. It is located in the town of Pelham. History The Bolton Priory, Edgewood House, and ...
, New York.


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rood, Richard (violinist) 1955 births Living people American male classical violinists Grammy Award winners Manhattan School of Music faculty Musicians from Cleveland Classical musicians from Ohio 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical violinists