From Fear to the Global Stage: Clarke Randolph on Finding Her Voice, and Expanding What a Violinist Can Be

By Chad Eric Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications, Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts

On a national stage, under bright lights and in front of a packed audience, a violin cuts through the sound of hip-hop, precise, expressive, unmistakably present. For many, it’s unexpected. For Clarke Randolph, it’s simply the natural result of saying yes to what once felt impossible.

A full-time lecturer in the Department of Music at the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, Randolph teaches introductory music courses while building a performance career that continues to unfold across some of the world’s most visible platforms. But her journey was not mapped out in advance. In many ways, it began with uncertainty.

A Path That Took Shape Over Time

Before arriving at Howard University, Randolph began her collegiate journey at Spelman College as a biology major. Music had always been part of her life, she had trained in violin for years, but she was not yet convinced it could be a viable career.

After her first semester, she pivoted, eventually transferring to Howard, where she majored in music history with a minor in violin performance, graduating in 2015.

“I just didn’t know if music could really be a career,” she recalls. “Even though it came naturally to me, I hadn’t fully embraced it.”

That sense of exploration continued after graduation. Randolph spent time teaching violin in an after-school program before an unexpected opportunity shifted her trajectory once again. Encouraged to apply, she was accepted into the Royal College of Music in London, where she pursued a master’s degree in performance science, an interdisciplinary field examining the psychology and mental processes of musicians.

Her research focused on the effects of racial discrimination on Black American musicians, a topic that led to presentations around the world and deepened her understanding of both artistry and identity.

The Moment That Changed Everything

For all of her training and academic work, Randolph’s career as a performing artist began with a single uncomfortable decision.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt an internal push to share something she had long kept private: her ability to reinterpret contemporary songs on the violin.

I was terrified. I posted the video, deleted Instagram for a week, and didn’t look at it.

When she returned, something had shifted.

Within just a couple of posts, opportunities began to emerge. A former colleague, who had no idea Randolph even played an instrument, invited her to perform at a gallery opening. That performance became her first paid public gig.

What followed was a cascade of new possibilities.

The best parts of our lives are usually on the other side of risk. But you have to become the person who’s ready to receive what’s on the other side. And part of that is facing the fear.

From Instagram to the World Stage

What began as a hesitant experiment quickly evolved into a growing performance career, fueled by visibility and word of mouth.

After being discovered through her online performances, Randolph received a call to perform with Robert Glasper at the Kennedy Center as part of the Black Radio experience. From there, her résumé expanded rapidly.

She went on to:

• Tour nationally with Young Jeezy for the 20th anniversary of TM:101
• Perform at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series alongside The Lox
• Appear in a national campaign with Moncler
• Perform at Carnegie Hall with legendary artists including Angélique Kidjo
• Join the lineup for Coachella, one of the world’s most prominent music festivals

 

 

Each opportunity built on the last, expanding not only her reach, but her sense of what was possible.

Even as those opportunities grew, moments of doubt remained. When she was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, Randolph recalls questioning whether she was truly ready, before recognizing a simple truth: she had been asked for a reason.

 

“It makes you pause,” she says, reflecting on that moment. “But they knew me. They asked me to be there.”

“It showed me that the worlds aren’t as separate as we think,” she adds. “You can bring classical instruments into spaces where people don’t expect them, and it opens something up, not just for the audience, but for the artists too.”

Redefining the Sound, and the Role

Though classically trained, Randolph has found creative energy in bridging genres, particularly within hip-hop and contemporary music.

“There’s something powerful about watching artists hear their own music transformed,” she says. “Their eyes get wide. It expands their imagination of what their sound can be.”

At the same time, her journey has prompted deeper reflection on identity and artistry.

“I didn’t even consider myself a violinist for a long time,” she admits. “I could play, but I hadn’t reached the point where the instrument and I were fully connected.”

That realization has shaped her current approach, both as a performer and as an educator. She continues to refine her technical foundation while intentionally developing her own voice within the music.

You have to know the rules before you can break them. But you also have to put yourself into the music. Otherwise, what are you leaving the audience with?

Teaching from Experience

In the classroom, Randolph brings this evolving perspective directly to her students.

Her background in performance science informs how she thinks about not only musical technique, but also mental preparation, self-awareness, and sustainability as an artist. At the same time, her professional experiences offer students a real-time example of what a modern music career can look like.

I want them to understand that nothing is off limits. The boundaries we think exist between disciplines, they’re not real.

Expanding the Definition of Success

Randolph’s journey has also extended beyond the stage in unexpected ways.

After organizing a concert with her siblings as the Randolph String Quartet, what began as a simple effort to document the performance took on a life of its own. A fellow Howard alumnus and filmmaker proposed transforming the project into a televised feature, capturing both the performance and the story behind it.

 

The result was an episode produced in collaboration with PBS, which was later submitted for Emmy consideration, and won.

Like much of her journey, it was not something she planned.

I just wanted to record what we did. And it became something much bigger.

Becoming Something That Hasn’t Existed Before

As both an alumna and a faculty member, Randolph embodies the kind of creative expansion that defines the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, rooted in tradition, but constantly evolving in form, voice, and possibility.

Her journey, marked by uncertainty, risk, and discovery, offers a powerful reminder to students navigating their own paths.

“The reason you have all of your interests,” she says, “is because you’re supposed to be something that hasn’t existed before.”

And sometimes, becoming that person begins with a single, uncertain step, taken anyway.

Watch "Artworks: The Art of Strings"

The Randolph String Quartet, a preeminent group of siblings who perform across the world (Howard University Alums), teach us about the classic string ensemble format through classic and contemporary repertoire. This episode features performances and a look into the issues regarding Classical Music.