A program of Romantic showpieces brings celebrated artists Andrew Sords and Cheryl Duvall together for the first concert of our season. Sords is admired as a performer who is not just technically superb, but also imbues his playing with melodious resonance, expressiveness, and passion. In Interplay, his skill and expertise align with those of pianist Cheryl Duvall, known for her dynamic performances and impressive versatility as educator and artistic leader.
Biographies:
Andrew Sords
Violinist Andrew Sords is acclaimed for commanding virtuosity, individuality and uncommon expressive depth. “Sords demonstrated what it means to be an artist, pairing maximum delicacy with fire and brilliance,” wrote Guatemala City’s Prensa Libre. The Arizona Sun praised his “flawless performance,” “mastery of his instrument” and “maturity and sensitivity.” The Palm Springs Desert Sun described his playing as “melodious, resonant, expressive, and passionate. The audience could not stop applauding”.
ClevelandClassical.com called his Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata “the stunner of the afternoon – a breathless but magnificently controlled performance, which Sords charged through with giddy aplomb,” praising his “total command of technique, consummate musicianship and bravura.” With pianist Eriko Izumida, he “kept the audience in the palm of their hands all afternoon.”
Sords’s orchestral and recital appearances span North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including nearly all 50 US states and dozens of performances in both Canada and Mexico. Broadcasts and profiles reaching millions beyond classical audiences include NPR’s Morning Edition, Sirius XM’s The Derek and Romaine Show, CBC, ABC Australia, Interlochen Public Radio, London’s The Times, Queerty Blog and OUT Magazine. Featured on the year-end New Age Charts, he was the first classical artist to headline a USA Pride Festival and perform as soloist with all America’s LGBTQ orchestras.
Cheryl Duvall
Toronto pianist, interpreter, presenter and tireless advocate Cheryl Duvall is a leading Canadian contemporary musician. Her versatility across compositional styles and collaborations combines thoughtful agility and nuance with sonic and expressive power and depth. She has toured and performed across Canada, Japan, Europe, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and the US.
Co-founder with Ilana Waniuk of the “adventurous and smartly programmed” (Musicworks Magazine) Thin Edge New Music Collective, she has commissioned over 80 works, staged ambitious interdisciplinary productions and collaborated with leading international performers. Its 2023 album Dark Flower, featuring Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith’s chamber works, received BBC and CBC airplay, a JUNO nomination, widespread acclaim and a place among The Wire Magazine’s top 10 Modern Classical releases of 2023.
Her three solo albums feature Canadian composers, with two nominated for JUNO awards for Classical Composition of the Year. She is Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga and Collaborative Pianist for Resound Choir and the Durham Philharmonic Choir. Her qualifications include an Honours BMus and Diploma of Chamber Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master’s in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Toronto.
Program:
L’Abeille — François Schubert (1808–1878) (2 min)
Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30, No. 3 — Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) (18 min)
Allegro assai
Tempo di Menuetto
Allegro vivace
Clair de lune — Claude Debussy (1862–1918) (5 min)
Morceaux de salon, Op. 6 — Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) (10 min)
Romance
Hungarian Dance
Sonata in E minor, K. 304 — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) (14 min)
Allegro
Tempo di Menuetto
Nocturne — Lili Boulanger (1893–1918) (3 min)
Carmen: Fantaisie brillante, Op. 3, No. 3 — Jenő Hubay (1858–1937) (10 min)
Main Title from Fiddler on the Roof — Jerry Bock (1928–2010), arranged by John Williams (b. 1932) (4 min)
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