Schwob School of Music Alum & Conductor Roderick Cox Celebrated for Memorable Concerts with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Roderick Cox is a 2009 graduate of Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music whose career as one of the world's leading young conductors has taken him to podiums across the world. The Berlin-based American conductor is known for his fiery approach to conducting, and his passionate drive for arts education initiatives for young musicians.

A native of Macon, Georgia, Cox completed his undergraduate degree at Schwob School of Music where he majored in performance. He then went on to study at Northwestern University where he earned his master's degree in 2011 and began conducting professionally across the United States and Europe.

Winner of the 2018 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award by the U.S Solti Foundation, Cox has been praised by major publications around the globe. In a story by NBC News, he was lauded as a conductor who is "paving the way" and was later recognized by the Minnesota StarTribune as a “trailblazer conductor who will be amongst the vanguard.”

Cox maintains a demanding schedule of conducting engagements around the world, but has taken time to give back through his music foundation for children. The Roderick Cox Music (RCMI) Initiative began in 2019 as a program to nurture the next generation of musicians and conductors ages 12-18 through music scholarships to underserved youth of color in the Twin Cities. Each scholarship is given to a promising student who aspires to have a future in classical music.

Last month, Cox was featured as a guest conductor in a series of two concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra where he led an invigorating and surprising combination of repertoire focusing on themes inspired by his love of history. The first piece on the concert was Samuel Barber's beloved “Adagio for Strings” which welcomed audience members with its comforting familiarity and treasured, robust harmonic structure.

At well over six feet tall, Cox is a commanding and steadfast presence at the helm of the orchestra. As Barber's famous themes began, they appeared to seemingly cascade out of Cox's baton and across Symphony Hall. The work felt like it had been intentionally programmed as the calm before the storm. Knowing what was to come, the audience seemed to settle into the work and enjoy the whole of its offerings as a preparation for the darker themes ahead.

When “Adagio for Strings” finished, Cox exited the stage quickly, only to return with a microphone to prepare the audience for what was to come: John Adams' apocalyptic “Doctor Atomic Symphony.” The intense work is based on the life and times of J. Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb.

As he addressed the audience, Cox transformed into an educator before our eyes. With incredible intentionality, he provided an in-depth look into the musical, emotional and historical elements of “Doctor Atomic” in order to prepare the audience for the complexities of the piece. Cox challenged listeners to audibly seek out themes related to the science of the bomb itself early in the first movement, and then later on in latter movements, to search for sections inspired by the consistent debate of morality among Oppenheimer and the scientists he worked with. This pre-performance talk was a highlight of the evening, and a hallmark moment for Cox, as it produced not only a more interesting experience for those of us in the audience, but also equipped everyone in attendance to be able to receive the work as the composer intended.

Cox shone as he went above and beyond to create space for informed and educated listening, while simultaneously offering himself as he clearly demonstrated remarkable rapport with the orchestra moments later via the podium as he led each musician on stage. The final notes of the symphony were received with a predictable silence as the heaviness of “Doctor Atomic” subsided, and then a raucous applause erupted to mark the start of intermission.

The second half of the concert featured Cox at the podium guiding strongly through Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances.” The most notable aspect? His clear affinity for the material. As he conducted each movement, the trademark confidence and passion with which he takes the podium were evident to all in the room. If anything, the consistency he showed throughout the entire concert was exceptional and left a mark on many in attendance. Conversations about his poise and excellence on the podium could be overheard throughout the hall as the audience made their way out of the venue at the close of the concert.

In a brief post-concert gathering with Columbus State University patrons and administrators, Cox graciously greeted everyone and thanked them for attending the performance. He also spoke fondly of his years at Schwob School of Music. “My time in Columbus was critical to my success,” Cox said to a group of CSU patrons and administrators after the ASO concert in October. “Choosing to study at Schwob provided the foundation I needed to pursue a career in conducting. I tell colleagues often about Schwob and the excellent training I received there. It was a very formative time for me.” ◼️