Romel Joseph
Romel Joseph | |
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| Born | May 19, 1959 Gros Mornes, Haiti |
| Died | October 6, 2015 (aged 56) |
| Nationality | Haitian |
| Citizenship | Haiti |
| Alma mater | St. Vincent School |
| Occupation | Professional violinist |
Romel Joseph (May 19, 1959 - October 6, 2015) was a Haitian professional violinist best known as the founder of The New Victorian School, a private school for grade-school children located in Turgeau, Port-au-Prince|, Haiti.[1][2]
Early life and childhood
Joseph was born in Gros Mornes, Haiti, the middle of five kids.[3][4] He was raised by nuns at the St. Vincent School for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.[4][5] Born with Congenital cataract, a condition that left him with less than 10% vision even after corrective surgery in 1980, Joseph earned a Fulbright scholarship despite his handicap and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1982 and a Master of Arts in violin performance from Juilliard School of Music.[2][5][6][7] He also studied with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Center.[4][5]
Career
Joseph worked as the music director at the St. Vincent’s School for Handicapped Children where he had attended as a child.[7] He founded The New Victorian School in Port-au-Prince in 1991.[1] In 1996, he founded and served as executive director of the Walenstein Musical Organization, a non-profit that provides music education, training, and performance opportunities to children in South Florida.[2][8] Joseph rebuilt The New Victorian School after it was destroyed by a fire in 2000, and again ten years later after it was destroyed on January 12, 2010, during the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[1][6]
When the quake struck, Joseph was on the third floor of The New Victorian School and became buried beneath the rubble for 18 hours.[1][6] He claimed to have kept himself alive by mentally reciting every major piece of classical music he had performed until rescuers found him.[1] He was flown to Miami, Florida, where he was treated for three months and underwent multiple surgeries for a crushed arm and two crushed legs at Jackson Memorial Hospital.[2][9][10] Joseph’s second wife, Myslie, and their unborn child did not survive the quake.[1][3]
Based on his experience surviving the earthquake, Joseph wrote The Miracle of Music: Experience How Romel Joseph Has Used His Musical Knowledge and Talent to Overcome Some of His Most Challenging Life Obstacles.[11] He died on October 6, 2015, after suffering a stroke.[12]
In the media
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Wife, School Lost In Quake, Violinist Vows To Rebuild". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Couric, Katie (2010-01-21). "Haiti Earthquake: Stories of Survivors". CBS News. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Violinist Romel Joseph, survivor of Haiti earthquake, dies at 56". Le Flambeau Foundation. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sallah, Michael (2010-01-21). "Haitian virtuoso lost wife, school, but vows to rebuild". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Matchan, Linda (1982-08-18). "From Haiti to Tanglewood via his violin". The Boston Globe: 33, 39.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Haiti Quake Crushes Violinist's Hand, But Not His Spirit". NPR.org. 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Human Rights Day 2012 - Events in New York and Geneva". United Nations Human Rights - Office of the High Commissioner. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Walenstein Musical Organization, Inc". Walenstein Musical Organization. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Hori, Shannon (2013-01-11). "Blind Survivor Of Haiti Quake Gives Violin Performance At JMH". CBS 4 Miami. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Former Jackson patient who survived 2010 Haiti earthquake returns to hospital for musical performance". Jackson Health System. 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Joseph, Romel (23 December 2010). The Miracle of Music: Experience How Romel Joseph Has Used His Musical Knowledge and Talent to Overcome Some of His Most Challenging Life Obstacle. ISBN 978-0976984702.
- ↑ Cohen, Howard (2015-10-07). "Violinist Romel Joseph, survivor of Haiti earthquake, dies at 56". Miami Herald.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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