Roderick Cox
Roderick Cox was named the Minnesota Orchestra’s associate conductor in September 2016, following a year in which he served as the ensemble’s assistant conductor. Cox will make his Minnesota Orchestra classical subscription concert debut in three performances January 19 to 21, 2017, leading Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony and Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, the latter with pianist Joyce Yang. He will additionally conduct Young People’s Concerts, family programs, special events and outdoor community concerts, while also serving as cover conductor for many classical subscription and Live at Orchestra Hall concert performances. In addition, as associate conductor, Cox serves as a link to the community, participating in engagement activities, school visits and collaborations with other Minnesota arts and cultural institutions.
Before arriving in Minnesota, Cox served for two years as assistant conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra. He was awarded the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize from the Aspen Music Festival in 2013, which led to national recognition and a return to the festival as a fellow. He has also held fellowships with the Chicago Sinfonietta as part of the Project Inclusion program and the Chautauqua Music Festival, where he was a David Effron Conducting Fellow.
The 2015-16 season included many important firsts for Cox, who made debuts with the Detroit Symphony, National Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and was selected by the League of American Orchestras as one of five conductors presented at the 2016 Bruno Walter National Conducting Preview, a prestigious showcase for young conductors from around the country.
During the 2016-17 season, Cox will make debut appearances with the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra and Colour of Music Festival and will lead concerts in Washington, D.C., for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History.
In 2013, Cox was one of four conductors selected by the League of American Orchestras to conduct the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of its music director, David Robertson. For two consecutive summers he was named by Marin Alsop to attend the Conductors Guild Conductor/Composer Training Workshop at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Cox, a native of Macon, Georgia, earned a master of music degree in conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. His conducting teachers have been Mallory Thompson, Victor Yampolsky, Robert Spano, Larry Rachleff, Mei-Ann Chen and Adrian Gnam. In 2009 he received a bachelor of music degree in music education from Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music, graduating summa cum laude. For more information, visit roderickcox.com.