Joshua Coyne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joshua Coyne
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Joshua Coyne playing at Barack Obama's Rally for Change
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 5, 1993 |
| Genres | Classical, Jazz, Contemporary |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Violinist, Conductor |
| Instruments | Violin, Piano, Viola |
Joshua Coyne (born March 5, 1993) is an American musician and composer. He plays the violin, piano, and viola. He also conducts orchestras! Joshua is known for his classical, jazz, and contemporary music.
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About Joshua Coyne
Joshua was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 5, 1993. When he was two years old, he was adopted and moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His new family loved the arts. They were part of local groups like Theatre Cedar Rapids and the Cedar Rapids Symphony.
Joshua quickly showed a talent for music. He started taking violin lessons at the Cedar Rapids Symphony School. In 2006, Joshua and his family moved to the Washington, D.C. area. There, he kept studying violin with Lya Stern. He also began learning how to compose music.
After moving to D.C., Joshua performed for important events. In February 2008, he played for Barack Obama at a big event called the Stand for Change Rally. He also performed for the Haitian Embassy.
Joshua composed the music for a play called Anne and Emmett. This play is about Emmett Till and Anne Frank. It was written by Janet Langhart Cohen. The play was supposed to open at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in June 2009. However, the show was canceled due to an unexpected event that day.
In 2011, Joshua faced challenges paying for college. Many articles were written about how hard it was for students to get money for school. Because of these articles, Joshua received many donations. This help allowed him to attend the Manhattan School of Music.
Joshua plays a special violin bow made by Joshua Henry. He named his violin "Lya" after his teacher, Lya Stern. This violin was made by Joseph Curtin.
Joshua is also featured in a documentary film called Sonata Mulattica. This film compares his life to the life of George Bridgetower. It is based on a collection of poems by poet laureate Rita Dove.
Joshua's Education
Joshua learned from many talented teachers.
- He studied violin with Lya Stern. She was a student of famous violinists Jascha Heifetz and Raphael Bronstein.
- He learned composition from Judah Adashi at the Peabody Institute.
- He also studied composition with Joel Hoffman. Joel Hoffman leads the composition department at the University of Cincinnati.
- A famous composer named Marvin Hamlisch was also his mentor.
- Joshua graduated from Winston Churchill High School (Potomac, Maryland).
- In 2011, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music. There, he studied composition with Robert Sirota and Richard Danielpour.
Amazing Accomplishments
Performances
- Joshua played for 13,000 people at Barack Obama's Rally for Change.
- He played the role of Tom Collins in the musical Rent. This was at the 2009 American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- He performed a solo concert at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.
Compositions
- Joshua wrote the music for Anne and Emmett. This play is by Janet Langhart Cohen. It tells the stories of Emmett Till and Anne Frank.
- His song Daydream won a Gold award. This was at the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics.
- He also composed True Love, which is a ballet with three parts.
Awards
- Bethesda Magazine named him one of their "Top Teens" in 2011.
- He won a Gold award at the NAACP ACTSO competition.
- He also received a scholarship from the Discus Awards.
Other Achievements
- Joshua was featured in an article. This article talked about the challenges students face when trying to get money for college.
