Macon native Roderick Cox recounts musical journey to becoming a conductor
The basic notes to nurture a dream and everyone playing their part can cascade into a crescendo of success.
'Any dream worth obtaining takes diligent work over time'
Everyone loves a great success story, but what's most fascinating is the story behind that success.
Conductor Roderick Cox is living one of those great stories.
Raised by a single mom in the musical Mecca of Macon, he had lots of potential, but not a lot of resources.
Just like it takes more than one instrument to make an orchestra, it takes more than just one person to create a great conductor.
Roderick Cox's love of music started early at home and at church.
“Just being surrounded by a lot of music. My mom was in the choir at Bethany Seventh Day Adventist Church and I had to sit in the choir rehearsals, and I very much enjoyed the music coming from the choir loft every, every Saturday morning,” Cox said.
Cox started off on the snare drum in elementary school. He was a part of Central High School's marching band in the early 2000s and eventually moved to the French horn.
“I felt very fortunate to be a part of Macon Public School system when I felt there was a strong emphasis on Macon and music education,” said Cox.
Cox remembers when Zelma Redding with the Otis Redding Foundation agreed to buy him his first French horn for college. Karla Redding-Andrews, Vice President and Executive Director of the foundation and daughter of music legend Otis Redding explains what made Cox special.
“Roderick, what makes him so special is his determination, and he's a lot like my dad -- you can't put him in a box because he's African American, and my dad was that way, like, 'I'm not doing this for color, this is the passion that I have,' and I think that's what my mom saw in him.”
It was in college at Columbus State University in Georgia when Cox the French horn player decided to become Cox the conductor. Cox studied conducting at Northwestern University, graduating in 2011. There, he found more than a love of music -- Cox discovered its power to move the soul and the body.
His studies took him around the world, studying at Oxford University in England, Barcelona, Spain, and the Czech Republic, just to name a few, all with the help of the Otis Redding Foundation.
The basic notes to nurture a dream and everyone playing their part can cascade into a crescendo of success.
Cox said, “I still feel my goal is to make great music, the best music I can at the highest level of my potential, and wherever that takes me -- to a fantastic orchestra -- I have to do it and pursue it and do it 100 percent.”
Cox is currently conducting in Germany. He’s been there since 2018, but he still stays connected with the foundation and is giving back through his Roderick Cox Music Initiative.
“It’s not farfetched to dream big, but a dream has to be backed up through execution and planning, and any dream worth obtaining takes diligent work over time,” said Cox.
He says that you can't do it alone.
"Not just parents, but supporters and different angels come in your life to help you along your path," said Cox.
The Boys & Girls Club in Macon was also instrumental in Cox's development. Leaders there reached out to the Otis Redding Foundation on his behalf.
Karla Redding-Andrews says Cox will be honored with the Zelma and Otis Redding Award of Respect during the Macon Bicentennial Celebration this fall.
If you are interested in learning more about and donating to the Roderick Cox Music Initiative, you can also visit their official site.