Sophia Stoyanovich, Bainbridge Island WA. 2023

BIOGRAPHY

Hailed as "spectacular" (Bernard Jacobson, Seattle Times) and an artist commanding "superb musical instincts, a lustrous tone, and exemplary technique" (Huntley Dent, Fanfare) American violinist Sophia Stoyanovich has captivated audiences since her 2010 debut with the Seattle Symphony, and performs internationally today in solo, collaborative, and orchestral roles.

As recitalist, Ms. Stoyanovich has appeared in concerts across the United States. Winner of the New York International Artists Association First Prize, she made her solo recital debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in January of 2023. Recent recital appearances include performances for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago; Great Music LA, the Crocker Art Museum Classical Concerts, and Encinitas Music by the Sea in California; the University of Washington Women’s Society Recital Series in Seattle; and Project: Music Heals Us, New York University’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò Series, Music in Midtown, and the Next Festival of Emerging Artists in New York. Her solo European debut took place in June of 2023, for a performance of Bartók’s First Rhapsody in the Konzerthaus in Vienna with the Wiener Opernball Orchestra.

Ms. Stoyanovich has distinguished herself with her leadership and sensitivity as a chamber musician. In December of 2024, she was joined by pianist Derek Wang and conductor Tengku Irfan to perform Alban Berg’s Chamber Concerto for Violin and Piano with 13 winds at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York. As a Fellowship Artist at La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, she has collaborated with artists including Carter Brey, James Ehnes, Alexi Kenney, Anthony McGill, Tessa Lark, Cynthia Phelps, and Masumi Per Rostad. In Europe, Ms. Stoyanovich has performed as a guest artist of the Rome Chamber Music Festival at the Teatro Argentina in Italy, and with members of the Berlin Philharmonic at the Zermatt Music Festival in Switzerland. Additional chamber appearances include performances at the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Olympic Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival.

An active orchestral musician, Ms. Stoyanovich has performed under the baton of John Adams, Thomas Adès, Sir Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Jurowski, Susanna Mälkki, Kurt Masur, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Jaap van Zweden. In 2024, she performed on tour with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark. Previously, Ms. Stoyanovich has toured with the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra in Germany, the Versoi Ensemble in Finland, the Juilliard Orchestra in Finland and Sweden, and the Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States throughout the U.S., U.K., and Russia.

A dynamic performer of the music of our time, Ms. Stoyanovich led as Principal Second of the Lucerne Music Festival Contemporary Orchestra in 2023, performing works including Mathias Spahlinger’s passage/paysage (1990), Tania León’s Indígena (1991), and Jalalu-Kalvert Nelson's Jim is Still Crowing (2022). As violinist of the Finnish-American Versoi Ensemble (praised for their “excellence” by The New York Times), Ms. Stoyanovich spearheaded the 2020-2022 Versoi commissioning cycle Juurilla, selecting and collaborating with seven emerging composers for a concert of new works at the Musiikkitalo in Helsinki. Her 2021-2022 recital tour of the West Coast with pianist Derek Wang featured programs devoted to American composers of today, including composers John Adams, Billy Childs, Jennifer Higdon, Patrick Stoyanovich, Christopher Theofanidis, and Augusta Read Thomas. An advocate for education in addition to performance, Ms. Stoyanovich joined the Kaleidoscope Ensemble in 2023 for the Festival of New American Music, performing, adjudicating and hosting masterclasses at Sacramento State University.

In June of 2024, Ms. Stoyanovich released her debut album with Bridge Records, Rue Paradis: Chamber Works by Patrick Stoyanovich. Praised as a recording of "extraordinary communication" (Fanfare Magazine), Ms. Stoyanovich was joined by cellist Aaron Wolff and pianist Derek Wang to record chamber music by American-Serbian composer, Patrick Stoyanovich. Ms. Stoyanovich previously collaborated with Wang on American Stories, a podcast that examines and celebrates American identity through music in performance, illuminated by personal histories and reflections from featured guests of all walks of life. American Stories was awarded an Ensemble Forward grant from Chamber Music America.

Born to a family of artists, Ms. Stoyanovich grew up on Bainbridge Island, WA. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as a recipient of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and the Dr. & Kassie Biros Neuman Scholarship. Additional studies include working with Chaim Taub at the Barenboim-Said Akademie Masterclass Series in 2019, and Anthony Marwood and András Keller at the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove in 2019 and 2022. Ms. Stoyanovich is a fellowship recipient and doctoral candidate at The Graduate Center under the mentorship of Mark Steinberg, and serves on the faculty of Hunter College. She performs on a 1930 Karl August Berger violin made in New York City.

*Updated January 2025 – please do not alter or abridge without permission.

Photography - Antonia Stoyanovich, 2023