James Roos
As the Miami Herald’s classical music critic for 31 years, James Roos was a fundamental voice in shaping Miami’s cultural arts landscape from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Known for his astute and candid critique, Roos shared his deep knowledge of classical music making music accessible to all readers. He interviewed and covered legendary performers such as Luciano Pavarotti, Leontine Price, Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Vladimir Horowitz and major orchestras and dance companies presented by Judy Drucker’s Concert Association of Florida. He chronicled the launch of the Florida Philharmonic under James Judd’s direction, the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, the Miami City Ballet under Edward Villella and Alain Lombard’s Miami Philharmonic. Roos advocated for the need for world-class performance venues in South Florida. His voice was integral to the establishment of Broward Center for the Performing Arts in 1991, the Kravis Center in 1992, and Miami’s Performing Arts Center in 2006, now the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.