Andrew Sords

Violinist.com blog: http://www.violinist.com/blog/Andrew
Personal website: http://www.andrewsords.com

"Sords made a voluble soloist in the A Major Turkish concerto, forging his statements with an admirably firm clarity and bringing out the work's muted virtuosity as often as possible. His bowing arm showed an attractive suppleness and an attention to variety of phrasing that made even the episodic finale a pleasure. His energy spilled out in a glittering encore, the Souvenir d'Amerique by Vieuxtemps in which Sords cut loose in an entertaining stream of effects." Melbourne, Australia "The Age"

Respected internationally as “a fully formed artist” (Kalisz-Poland News), violinist ANDREW SORDS has been described by critics as “utterly radiant” (Canada’s Arts Forum) and “exceptionally heartfelt and soulful” (St. Maarten’s Daily Herald). Sords has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras and performed for important recital series across four continents. From Alaska to Australia; Moscow to Melbourne; and Cleveland to the Cayman Islands - Sords has solidified his reputation with the standard concerti of the 18th and 19th centuries. In 2012, Sords was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Concert Society Career Grant.

Born in Newark, Delaware, Sords began violin lessons in 1992 with Liza Grossman, and went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Southern Methodist University with Linda Cerone, David Russell, and Chee-Yun. Following several summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and The ENCORE School for Strings, Sords embarked on a solo career with performances in Puerto Rico, the Netherlands, and across the continental United States.

In recent seasons, Sords has performed concerti of Brahms, Mozart, Dvorak and Mendelssohn in venues as diverse as Poland, Melbourne, Minneapolis, Oakland, Toronto, Cleveland, and Atlanta. Sords will headline the 2014 Moscow Mozart Festival with performances of two concerti and chamber music, followed immediately by a return engagement with the San Miguel (Mexico) Pro Musica Chamber Series. Following a highly successful Toronto concerto debut in 2011, Sords returns to Canada on the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Series; performs the Bach Sonatas and Partitas on the Neapolitan (Toronto) Recital Series; and, in 2014, makes his solo debut with The Windsor Symphony under the direction of Robert Franz. A regular soloist in the Caribbean, Sords has performed in Anguilla, Grand Cayman, St. Maarten, and in Puerto Rico with Maestro Luis Biava conducting (Tchaikovsky). Upcoming festival appearances include the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the Lakes Area Chamber Festival, and the Renova Festival, with a debut in 2014 at the Costa Rica International Music Festival. Additionally, Sords competed in Pittsburgh’s “Dancing with the Stars” 2013 as the first classical artist to do so.

Recently, Sords has expanded his performance repertoire to include little known works by Schumann, Suk, Conus, Vieuxtemps, Hubay, and others. With pianist Elizabeth DeMio, Sords performs the Schumann Sonata Cycle at Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral Recital Series – this following their Brahms Sonata Cycle, described by ClevelandClassical as “a full and glorious sound …superb…Sords and DeMio were in complete agreement and, indeed, partners.”

Strongly committed to the promotion of classical music, Sords dedicates a portion of his time at nearly all engagements to educational outreach, masterclasses and community programming. Sords performs on a 1912 Augustine Talisse violin with strings exclusively provided by Warchal, Inc.
Sords is represented by EMC Artists, Ltd. Please contact emcartists@gmail.com for press or booking inquiries.

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