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Andrew Sords

Shaker Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio
Phone: 216.555.5555

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

Andrew joined Violinist.com before July 22, 2002

Violinist ANDREW SORDS has established himself as one of the preeminent new faces of classical violin. Already a veteran of the concert stage, Sords has recently toured with the Brahms, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven concerti to critical acclaim. He is the winner of the 2005 National Shirley Valentin Violin Award, the 2004 and 2005 National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, the Fortnightly Music Club of Cleveland and the Festival de la Orquesta Sinfonica de las Americas Competition of the Casals Festival among others. The 2009-2010 season will showcase the concerti of Beethoven, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky.

Born in 1985 in Newark, Delaware, Sords later moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, and began his violin studies with Liza Grossman, the dynamic founder and Conductor of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra with whom he recorded the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 3.

Sords completed his undergraduate education at the Cleveland Institute of Music with violin pedagogues Linda Cerone and David Russell, and performed for the legendary Midori in masterclasses in New York and at the University of Southern California. Most recently, Sords studied under internationally acclaimed violinist Chee-Yun at The Southern Methodist University of Dallas, Texas. Having been exposed to the international stage, Sords has performed in American concert halls and venues in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.

In 2008, Sords received international exposure as the top Google Classical News story as well as topping the Top-40 Charts in Classical.

Highlights for the 2009-2010 season include solo appearances with the Diablo Symphony, Medical Arts Symphony, Stow Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra, Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, Balcones Chamber Orchestra, Clear Lake Symphony, Magic Valley Symphony, and the Mesquite Symphony. Sords will also appear as a guest artist on the Defiance Community Cultural Council Series, Boise State University Recital Series, St. Peter's Recital Series, Ico Gallery Series, Baldwin-Wallace Recital Series, and the Chagrin Valley Chamber Series. Sords will make his solo debut with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, of which he has served as Concertmaster since the 2008-2009 season. Recently, Sords has appeared with the Portsmouth Symphony, St. Augustine Orchestra, Parma Symphony, Minnesota Philharmonic, Suburban Symphony, Carson City Symphony, Rappahannock Pops, Diablo Symphony, Heights Chamber Orchestra, and Balcones Chamber Orchestra. With pianist Cheryl Lemmons, Sords opened the 08/09 Abilene Christian University Recital Series - reinvited by the Kent State Recital Series, Sords performed the complete Brahms sonata set with pianist Anita Pontremoli in a broadcast performance. In 2007-2008, Sords played recitals in Cleveland, Dallas, Nevada, and Korea, and chamber music in the Cayman Islands.

Notable performances include the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Bowling Green Symphony with David Dettloff; Tchaikovsky Concerto with Maestro Luis Biava conducting at the Plaza de las Americas in San Juan; Chausson's "Poeme" and Tchaikovsky Concerto with Anna Balakerskaia in Holland; Sarasate's "Zigeurerweisen" in the Interlochen Honors Recital Series; and a live broadcast of music innovator George Crumb's "Black Angels" on Cleveland's WCLV 104.9.

Sords commissioned a violin concerto from acclaimed composer Evan Fein, which was completed and recorded with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra in early 2007. The recording of the concerto is already accumulating awards, and will be performed in upcoming seasons.

In 2007, Sords attended Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea, studying and performing at Hyo Kang's prestigious festival. He is also acclaimed for his performances with Conductor and Violinist Sidney Harth, Chee-Yun, Neeme Jarvi, David Lockington, Ray Manzarek of The Doors, Jon Anderson, Graham Nash, The Supremes, and The Cavani String Quartet with whom he performed in the summer of 2003 at the Allegheny Music Festival. Additionally, in 2006, Sords stepped in on twelve hours notice to perform on the Franciscan University Recital Series with pianist Eric Genuis.

From 2000-2004, Sords and pianist Eriko Izumida performed regularly as recital collaborators. In the spring of 2004 and 2006, Andrew appeared as a guest artist with Ms. Izumida on the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Recital Series. Since 2006, Sords has worked nearly exclusively with Anita Pontremoli, head of the Collaborative Department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The two perform together during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 seasons.

Strongly committed to extending classical music to all, Sords dedicates a portion of his time at almost every engagement to educational outreach, masterclasses and community programming.

Sords is the featured violinist in a documentary on violin technique. He was honored by Pulitzer Prize nominated Composer Kellach Waddle who dedicated his violin sonata to the young violinist. Sords performs on a 1912 Augustine Talisse violin.

Please visit www.andrewsords.com, the official website of Andrew Sords. Sords is represented by EMC Artists, Ltd. Contact emcartists@gmail.com for press or booking inquiries.

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Schools:

Southern Methodist University
Cleveland Institute of Music

Teachers:

Chee-Yun
Linda Cerone and David Russell
Sidney Harth, Yumi Scott, Annie Fullard, Liza Gros

Music Giveaway

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor's method books -- released this week -- teach students using many styles of American music. Enter to win a set of the books this week, on Violinist.com. Photo: Deanna Rose

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Concert Calendar

November 21, 2009
Beethoven Concerto
St. Louis, Missouri

December 1, 2009
Violinist Andrew Sords in NY
New York, New York