A Dream Coming True
Romel Joseph and A Romantic Evening with Tchaikovsky
Meet Romel Joseph; native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When Joseph was 5 years old in 1964, he was sent to Saint Vincent School for Handicapped Children. Joseph was born legally blind.
At Saint Vincent, Joseph was introduced to all of the string instruments and chose to play the violin. Within 2 years, in 1972, Joseph became a member of the New Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra for Youth. The orchestra had its first Christmas party that year and each member received an LP 33 classical recording of individual composers. He was given a recording on the life and music of Tchaikovsky, which would forever change his life.
“What made the Tchaikovsky recording special to me,” said Joseph, “is that at age 13, it had given me my life’s main goal: to perform his violin concerto with the Holy Trinity Philharmonic and create a symphony orchestra which would perform all his works.”
In the summer of 1976, the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra was invited to Tanglewood Summer Music Festival by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where they had the unique opportunity to work with all their members, including Joseph Silverstein, Arthur Fiedler, and Seigi Ozawa. Joseph didn’t forget his dream, and while in Tanglewood became friends with the personal manager of BSO, William Moyer, who was responsible for the exchange program.
“He was like a father to us,” remembers Joseph. “I was able to have quality conversation time with him inquiring about subjects such as audition procedures, orchestra discipline, repertoire selection, and alike.”
In 1978, Joseph was awarded a full scholarship at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he graduated with Honors and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Violin Performance. In 1985, he received a Fulbright grant from the United States Embassy and was accepted at the Julliard School, where he earned a MFA in music and violin performance. During these years of musical studies, he continuously worked on his dream; spending hours with orchestra conductors and administrators learning about orchestral management.
“In June 1994,” said Joseph, “the first part of my dream was realized. I performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto as a soloist with the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra. It was the first time that concerto was performed live in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.”
While residing in Miami in 1996, Joseph founded the Haitian Corporation for Musical Development which became the Walenstein Musical Organization. Joseph shared his childhood dream with his daughter, Victoria Joseph, whom he started teaching violin to at the age of 3 and is presently completing her BFA in Viola and Music Performance at the University of Miami. With her unreserved support and drive, Walenstein Symphony Orchestra (WSO) was inaugurated at Miami Beach’s Colony Theater.
In September 2008, 39 years later, Joseph’s dream will finally be materialized. The Walenstein Symphony Orchestra, which Joseph founded, will present a concert entitled: “A Romantic Evening with Tchaikovsky.” Repertoire includes Capriccio Italian, Variations on A Rococo Theme for Solo Cello and Orchestra, and Joseph’s all time favorite Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique” in B Minor. Over the next 10 years, WSO will perform the complete repertoire of this ingenious composer.
A Romantic Evening with Tchaikovsky will be performed Friday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Gusman Center for the Performing Arts and on Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m., at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from $52 to $10 and can be purchased online at www.walensteinmusic.org, through Ticketmaster or at the theatre box offices.
