Roderick Cox comes out hands down after three years with the Minnesota Orchestra

On Friday, Roderick Cox will conduct two "Symphony 60" concerts for the Minnesota Orchestra. This will be his last concerts as an badociate conductor of the orchestra. Part of Sommerfest this year, a celebration of Nelson Mandela, they will feature the music of peace and reconciliation.

Cox entered as badistant conductor in June 2015. He was bumped to badociate in September 2016. Before moving to Minnesota, he was badistant conductor of the orchestra. 39, Alabama Symphony Orchestra

A lot has happened between 2015 and today. Cox is no longer in his twenties. As one of the two African-American orchestra conductors in the United States with positions in leading orchestras, he captured national and international spotlights.

Cox led subscription concerts hailed by the Minnesota Orchestra, helped revive the Johannesburg Philharmonic in South Africa in Washington, DC for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of History and African-American culture, and has appeared with many orchestras across the country. In May this year he was in Amsterdam, one of four chefs selected for a prestigious masterclbad with Daniele Gatti and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

In May, Cox won the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award of 2018, the largest grant awarded to young American drivers in the United States. The timing was perfect. Solti immediately expanded its professional network and put $ 30,000 into its bank account.

In Cox's words, the award is "an excellent end point for here and a starting point for my future life." After leaving Minnesota, he will spend several months in Berlin, then make his orchestral debut at the Houston Grand Opera.

We spoke with Cox earlier this month at the Orchestra Hall. This interview was edited and condensed.

MinnPost: In the print and live interviews, you alluded to the sacrifices you made to reach this stage of your career. Can you elaborate?

Roderick Cox: The 4th of July has become a beautiful day, and I have received many invitations to hang out with friends and whatnot. But I also recognized – I have a concert in Montreal next week, then I fly from Montreal directly to Grant Park in Chicago, then I fly straight from there to do my last shows with the Minnesota Orchestra, then with Osmo Vänskä next week at the London Proms, then two and a half weeks in Africa, then back for a day, then for Berlin.

I became a little upset. I live vicariously through the social life of my friends and I see them on Instagram doing fun things. I'm trying to mix it up, but I have to spend a little time studying the repertoire and the music before I can do that time for myself.

These are small sacrifices. Greater sacrifices are, for example, I have a niece of one year that I have seen only twice. And a best friend since the ninth grade who lives in Georgia. I feel that this relationship is beginning to diminish. And you only see family a few times a year.

MP: You were born in Georgia and you come from Alabama. What were the best and worst aspects of being in Minnesota?

RC: The best part is that I moved here during the summer. There was a lot of excitement in the air and also nervousness around the orchestra coming back from the lockout. [Note: The lockout ended in January 2014, but in June 2015 it was still very fresh within the orchestra and the community.]

It was an incredible opportunity not only for the orchestra, but also for me. The orchestra was heading to a new territory and determining what type of orchestra they wanted to be. I could think of what kind of deputy chef I wanted to be. Did I want to stay on the sidelines and do what I was asked to do, or if I wanted to take this position to a place where I would get a lot out of it, but also put a lot of emphasis on it? , in terms of change?

I remember feeling that I was the luckiest person in the world when I arrived here. And I still believe that being here, with this orchestra, was the best part of my time here.

The worst … I guess most people expect me to say cold. But I would say to watch the city while filming Philando Castile and what was happening around the nation and especially here. I may have trouble saying that, but one thing the Minnesota likes to do, is stand up against criticism. And I'm like, "We must be open to the truth, and see why things are as they are, and find ways to fix them."

I was able to observe how parts of the community interact, and the issues related to race and how they work here. This tells me that there is still a lot of work to be done in this particular city on many of these issues.

MP: Several words were used to describe you. As "elegant", "extravagant", "moving" and especially "pioneering". How would you describe yourself?

RC: I guess I'm pretty physical on the podium. I'm trying to fill myself completely before I go on stage, to be that ship open and fill me with music. I think I look pretty weird on the catwalk. I hate to look at myself. I look to badyze and find ways to get better. But it does not really matter what I look like. It's about the results and how the orchestra plays

MP: How would you describe yourself as a person?

RC: I can be funny. I can be very simple in some respects, but also very demanding and difficult to satisfy. I can be very specific in what I want and what I want. I can be very sociable, but also very reserved. And I can also be very private.

MP: As one of the few black leaders, you are a role model for many people. After conducting a concert in December 2016 at the Shiloh Temple in north Minneapolis, critic Graydon Royce called you a "symbol of unity."

RC: It's good to hear, but I do not know I really focus on it. During my day, I say to myself, "How can I develop a very good interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 that I have to do next week?" I think that's what I should be thinking about. focus. With that, I can hope to change lives or influence people in a positive way.

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