Cellist Joshua Roman.
In Saturday’s (8/17) New York Times, Pam Belluck writes, “Since he began playing cello at 3, Joshua Roman’s talent has taken him … to concert halls all over the world. He was the youngest principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, at 22, and has been a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and many other orchestras. His daily routine often included 10 hours of playing, along with a six-mile run. Then, on Jan. 9, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla., the morning after performing Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto … he tested positive for Covid. He was only 37 years old, but he felt extreme fatigue … It would be a month before he had enough energy to fly home to Manhattan…. Eventually, most excruciating of all, he lost the stamina to play his cello for nearly three months. When Mr. Roman finally returned home to New York … he had two musical commitments looming, a Saint-Saëns concerto with the Omaha Symphony and a project with the bassist Edgar Meyer. As he began preparing, his body and mind rebelled. He would start shaking as he played.” Roman has worked with doctors, programs, and support groups that focus on long COVID, and recently released an album.
