2122 mozart chevalier chicago

Born of Jamaican parentage, soprano SONYA HEADLAM has been praised as “an entrancing soloist… with elan, flawless intonation, a velvety middle voice, and on-the-mark coloratura” (South Florida Classical Review). Engagements in 2022 include her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with the North Carolina Symphony; Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Grand Rapids Symphony; a much praised debut with the New World Symphony (Miami) in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate; and her Severance Hall debut with Apollo’s Fire, with critics calling her “the highlight of the concert… she sang flawlessly and with seeming abandon” (ClevelandClassical.com).

Sonya’s previous solo performances include Carnegie Hall, Trinity Wall Street, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and venues in South America, Europe, and Asia, as well as a Caribbean tour with members of the Cuban Philharmonic. On the opera stage, her favorite roles have included Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Light Opera of New Jersey. Sonya holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from Rutgers University, where she has also held a visiting scholar appointment.

“An exciting, boundary-defying performer – Pine displays a power and confidence that puts her in the top echelon.”
– The Washington Post –

“Striking and charismatic…she demonstrated a bravura technique and soulful musicianship.”
– The New York Times –

In both art and life, violinist Rachel Barton Pine has an extraordinary ability to connect with people. A leading interpreter of great classic and contemporary works, her performances combine her gift for emotional communication and her fascination with research. She plays with passion and conviction, thrilling audiences with her dazzling technique, lustrous tone, and infectious joy in music-making.

Pine’s 2021-22 season includes offering the world premiere “Violin Concerto No. 2,” written for her by Billy Childs through a co-commission by the Grant Park Music Festival, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, and the Interlochen Orchestra. Her orchestral appearances include concerts with Apollo’s Fire, the Mississippi Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique Quebec, the Tel Aviv Soloists, the Pacific Symphony, and Vancouver (WA) Symphony. She’ll perform in recital with Lara Downes at Ravinia, for Matinee Musicale with Matthew Hagle, and will join harpsichordist Jory Vinikour for concerts presented by Chamber Music Charleston and Chamber Music Columbus.

Pine’s past chart-topping albums include Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Teddy Abrams); Mozart: Complete Violin Concertos, Sinfonia Concertante (Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner); Bel Canto Paganini, and Elgar & Bruch Violin Concertos (BBC Symphony, Andrew Litton).

Pine has appeared as soloist with prestigious ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, and the Chicago, Vienna and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

An active philanthropist, Pine has led the Rachel Barton Pine (RBP) Foundation which assists young artists since 2001. Over the last 20 years, the RBP Foundation’s Music by Black Composers (MBC) project has collected more than 900 works by 450+ Black composers from the 18th–21st centuries; curated free repertoire directories, published print resources, including pedagogical books of music exclusively by global Black classical composers and a coloring book of Black classical composers.

She performs on the “ex-Bazzini ex-Soldat” Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (Cremona 1742).

WEBSITE

“The U.S.A.’s hottest baroque band.” –CLASSICAL MUSIC MAGAZINE (UK)