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Violinist Andrew Sords has established himself as the preeminent new face of classical violin. Already a veteran of the concert stage, Sords has recently toured with the Brahms, Bruch, Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky violin 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 in 2003.
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 News. Sords has also received national exposure through multiple radio and television interviews and widely distributed print articles.
Highlights for the 2009-2010 season include solo appearances with the Diablo Symphony, Medical Arts Symphony, Clear Lake Symphony, Magic Valley Symphony, Balcones Chamber Orchestra, Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, Stow Symphony Orchestra, Community Chamber Orchestra and the Mesquite Symphony. Sords will also appear as a guest artist on the Defiance Community Cultural Council Series, Boise State University Series, St. Peters Cathedral Series, Baldwin Wallace Recital Series, Ico Art and Music Gallery Series and 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. In fall 2009, Sords filled in - on 48 hours notice - as Concertmaster of the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra. Recently, Sords has appeared with the Portsmouth Symphony, St. Augustine Orchestra, Balcones Chamber Orchestra, Parma Symphony, Suburban Symphony, and the Minnesota Philharmonic. In 2007-2008, Sords played recitals in Cleveland, Dallas, Nevada, and Korea, and chamber music in the Cayman Islands. |
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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 on recitals and solo appearances.
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, Queensryche, 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.
| Kansas City Star: ...brought in one of the finest young violin soloists I have heard recently. Andrew Sords, a 24-year-old, was an absolute wonder as violin soloist for the Beethoven Concerto in D major for violin and Orchestra...this choice was outstanding. Young Sords was cheered back for encores, which showed his fine talent... |
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Listen to Andrew's Interview of National Radio about the healing phenomenon of Classical Music |
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Listen to Andrew play the Franck Sonata in A major
(Second half of Third Movement)
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