Diane Jones, WHRO's classical announcer, recently interviewed the Tony-nominated Josh Groban, who will be performing with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Chorale on Sunday.
The two discussed his excitement about joining the Virginia Arts Festival lineup, his new album, collaborations and his foundation, Find Your Light, which supports arts education programs.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Listen to the full interview here.
Diane Jones: I am so excited to have Josh Groban on the line with me. Josh, it's so great to catch up with you.
Josh Groban: It's great to catch up with you, too. Thank you so much for having me.
Jones: Well, let's jump in and tell us about the program and this tour, this 'Stage, Screen and Symphony' tour.
Groban: This is, I think, going to be the most fun I have all year … to be able to let these songs live and breathe in the world that they were intended with these amazing musicians; to be able to dive into the songs that helped craft me as a vocalist, songs from film and from musical theater. It's going to be soul-recharging for myself and for the audience.
Jones: Touching on that a little more, you say you've always been drawn to music that tells a story. Is there a particular piece that grabbed your heartstrings and said, 'This is my story?"
Groban: There's one that sticks out to me, which is from one of my favorite Stephen Sondheim musicals, "Sunday in the Park with George." I remember as a very young singer, we're talking 12, and listening to the melody and the lyrics to "Move On." As an anxious kid who sometimes had a very hard time making decisions and feeling confident and trusting my artistic, you know, compass, I remember hearing that song and thinking just how wise it is and how stunningly beautiful it is. I'll probably be singing it on stage for the concert as well.
Jones: The CD that you've just put out, "Cinematic," was produced by Greg Wells, who had worked on "The Greatest Showman." Does having somebody with that background bring something different to how you approach things?
Groban: One hundred percent. Choosing the right producer, a collaborator for an album like this or any album, is the most important part of it. He just recently finished doing all the music to the "Wicked" movie. When I came to him with this idea about this album that I've wanted to make for the entirety of my career, he had just as many, if not more, ideas than I did about songs we could do, arrangers we could work with, and his experience as a producer for singers, too. I trusted him, with his taste, that we could tackle these songs in a way that wouldn't, you know, anger anybody who loved them and had heard them a million times, but we could also bring our freshness and something new to them.
Jones: You talked about collaborating with Greg. Talk about how much fun it was to perform with your father, Jack, who played trumpet on "Moon River." That must have been a blast.
Groban: I think it is the most special recording session I've done and maybe we'll ever do in my life. I got my musical DNA from my dad. He's very musical. He didn't go into music professionally. I had this arrangement done to one of my favorite Mancini songs, "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and I'm thinking, "Oh my gosh, Greg, who could we get to possibly play on this track?" We're thinking about Terence Blanchard and Wynton Marsalis and all these legends that we love so much. And I was talking to my dad about the song and realized my favorite trumpet player has been right in front of me the whole time, but he hadn't played in 50 years.
So I said, "Hey, if you practice and we really take our time, do you think you could put a solo on this track?" And I thought he would say no, and he actually said, "You know what? Let me give it a try."
Jones: I want to give you a chance to tell us about the Find Your Light Foundation. I was so impressed with that. What is that?
Groban: The Find Your Light Foundation is really a testament to why I'm where I am. I was a product of a public arts education, and I'm here because I had teachers that helped me, you know, helped me grow in the most amazing ways, and having access to musical instruments. Knowing that my fan base was philanthropic and that they were always looking for ways to give back, they started immediately saying to me, "Hey, if you ever start a foundation, we want to support." In fact, they gave me a donation before I even had a foundation, way back when, for about $25,000, and said, "Hey, hold on to this. Whenever you have a foundation, this is the first donation."
I started this foundation with my family, and we're going to find programs around the country that need help. We make sure that we can say yes to as many programs in school and out of school as possible to make sure that young people get the chance to express themselves through the arts. It's not even about finding stars. It's about just finding the best human beings in these young people at a time that is more confusing and anxious than ever before. So we're thrilled to do it, and we've raised millions for programs.
Jones: It's incredibly impressive; it reaches, I think, 40 states and just an incredible variety of arts organizations. So congratulations on that!
Groban: Thank you so much. Thank you.
Jones: I have a traditional final question I like to ask my guests. Do you have any last words to share to encourage folks to go to the Virginia Arts Festival for your concert?
Groban: Well, nothing can duplicate how we all feel together when we experience music in one place. When I get to be on stage and perform songs that I love, it's a connection that is as much for me as it is for the audience. And so I hope everybody has a wonderful time, as wonderful a time as I'm going to have.
Jones: Josh, it has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for spending some time with us here today.
Groban: I so appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Visit vafest.org for tickets and more information.
