French Horn Concert - Josh Rosen

LAST YOUNG ARTISTS CONCERT TO FEATURE FRENCH HORNIST JOSHUA ROSEN
by Jeffrey Rosen

Joshua Rosen will emulate his Biblical namesake Joshua–the one  who blew down the walls of Jericho–by rattling the new windows of Mishkan Torah on May 15 at two in the afternoon with a concert of French horn pieces. The Ways and Means Committee is excited to  announce that Joshua will perform a challenging and electrifying program at a special matinee as the finale of this year’s Young Performers Series. The event will conclude with light refreshments  and a social hour, and will doubtlessly include a patented Mishkan Torah surprise moment or two.

This concert will be the third event in the Young Performers Series, which the Committee has been presenting this year as the capstone of its “From Generation to Generation” theme.  Joshua will be joining aspiring Mishkan Torah young artists tenor Ben Greenfield and violinist Sarah Saviet, who have presented the first two concerts to thunderous ovations and great acclaim. The Young Perfomers Series has been a resounding success story, and one of the major cultural highlights in the entire history of Mishkan Torah.

Joshua has chosen a program which should thrill and mesmerize the audience. Among other works, he will take on one of the pinnacles of the entire French horn repertoire, Mozart’s Second French Horn Concerto. To honor the “From Generation to Generation” theme, Joshua has composed a setting for piano, French horn, and tenor of the “I Will Espouse You” text from The Book of Hosea in Hebrew. Joshua will be joined by Ben Greenfield, who will sing the world premiere of that work. Mishkan Torah’s beloved one and only  Cantor Phil Greenfield will be the Master of Ceremonies for the gala occasion. Joshua will be joined for many of his numbers by well-known local pianist collaborative artist Andrew Kraus. The result will be music-making of the highest order.

The concert will mark Joshua’s first performance at Mishkan Torah since he performed Mozart’s Third French Horn Concerto at the “Hail to the Chiefs” dinner in the spring of 2010. At that time, he interpolated the actual “Hail to the Chiefs” musical theme and a bit of Mozart’s Fourth French Horn Concerto into the climactic cadenza. Thereafter, Joshua presented his senior recital at the Levine School of Music, where he premiered an original setting of an Ogden Nash poem for piano, French horn, and tenor, which Ben Greenfield also performed. He also played the First Richard Strauss French Horn Concerto and his original setting of a Tchaikovsky operatic aria, among other pieces. 

Joshua is presently attending the Chicago College of the Performing Arts where he is studying French horn performance and education under the tutelage of Dale Clevenger, the iconic principal French horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for over forty years. Joshua is active in a number of ensembles and orchestras in the Chicago area. Joshua has also studied with James Nickel of the National Symphony Orchestra and Brad Gemeinhardt of the Metropolitan Opera.

He was a member of the Columbia Youth Orchestra during his high school years, and rose to the position of principal French horn during his final year. He also was principal French horn for the Chamber Ensemble at the Levine School of Music. Joshua was the drum major and student band conductor during his senior year at Northwood High School and won the school’s award for Best Instrumental Music Student.  He attended well-regarded Kinhaven School of Music in Weston, Vermont, during the last two summers, and played principal French horn in a Kinhaven performance of  Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony. He also played with the Rockville Brass Band during his time in high school. Joshua has performed at the White House and at the Concert Hall and Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.  A consummate showman as well as a musician, Joshua has performed for a number of years with the Comedy  Academy of Montgomery County under the directorship of Harry Bagdasian. Joshua has written and performed in numerous comedic  sketches and has composed and performed original comic songs as well on the keyboard and the banjo. Joshua has had several of his original comedic sketches recently published under the auspices of the Comedy Academy.

His forthcoming appearance marking the last event of the Young Performers Series is an absolute must-see event. Tickets for the entire event, including admission to the social hour afterwards, may be purchased for only fifteen dollars if ordered before May 9, 2011. After that, tickets may be purchased afterwards or at the door for eighteen dollars if the concert does not sell out beforehand.  You may order tickets directly from the Synagogue or make  reservations online at the MT website.

Like the other two concerts in the Young Performers Series, there will be a beautiful Program book which will serve as a souvenir of the occasion. You can be listed in the Program book and show your support for the Young Performers Series whether or not you are able to attend the concert.

Plan on attending! We’ll see you at the glorious finale of the Young Performers Concert Series!