Sophie Kauer 

https://www.sophiekauer.com/

Sophie Kauer is a British-German cellist and actress, born in London in 2001. She is currently studying for a BA in Classical Cello Performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, in the class of world-renowned cellist Torleif Thedeén. She started cello lessons aged 8 and, just 18 months later, was accepted into the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music in London where she received a scholarship and had won all available prizes by the age of 16. From the ages of 13 to 18, she was also a private student of distinguished cello professor, Melissa Phelps. 

Sophie was selected from several hundred cellists and actresses worldwide for a leading role in TÁR, a recent feature film starring Cate Blanchett as an orchestral conductor, written and directed by Todd Field. The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, 5 BAFTAS, 3 Golden Globes and was named "Best Picture of the Year" by more critics than any other film released in 2022. Sophie provided live performances for the film, including playing with the Dresden Philharmonic. She also recorded music from the film with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Natalie Murray Beale, for an album that was released by Deutsche Grammophon in October 2022 and went to No.1 on the US Classical Billboard chart. 

Sophie has been named as one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars for 2023. She released her first solo EP with Deutsche Grammophon in March 2023 where she was partnered by pianist Kunal Lahiry, a current BBC New Generation Artist. Titled Unsung, the album features music by Nadia Boulanger, Anatoly Lyadov, Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann and aimed to draw fans of TÁR deeper into the world of classical music, and “show that classical music itself can be very accessible”, as well as to promote music that is not as well known as it deserves to be, including works by female composers.

Upcoming concerts in 2023 include Saint Saëns’ Cello Concerto No 1, conducted by Alondra de la Parra, at the Paax GNP Festival in Mexico, the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia in the UK, conducted by Rebecca Miller, and Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Surrey Mozart Players, conducted by Phillip Ellis. She has previously performed the Dvorak, Elgar and Haydn Cello Concertos with orchestra, as well as the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. She has also played numerous solo recitals in the UK and in Europe, including as part of the Leeds International Concert Season, at the Breinton Recital Society, Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Bach300 Festival and FRAM Konsertserie. 

Sophie received a scholarship from the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein and participates in the Intensive Music Weeks and activities offered by the Academy. She is also a Hattori Foundation Junior Award recipient and has been supported by scholarships from the Astona International Music Academy, the Michael Hurd Memorial Fund, the Guildford Spring Music Festival and the Woking Young Musician Fund. She has been very fortunate to receive masterclasses from Andreas Brantelid, Henrik Brendstrup, Vilde Frang, Johannes Goritizki, Henning Kraggerud, Kian Soltani, Troels Svane and Raphael Wallfisch.

Chamber music has been a fundamental part of Sophie’s musical development with her having attended national chamber courses and received tuition from members of the Doric, Allegri, Haydn and Tippet Quartets from an early age. She also received regular duo coaching from the age of 13 from Alison Rhind, one of the UK’s leading collaborative pianists. At the Norwegian Academy of Music her coaches have included Lars Anders Tomter, Are Sandbakken, Henning Kraggerud, Morten Carlsen and Per Lundberg.

Sophie plays a modern cello made by Ragnar Hayn in 2020.

© Sophie Kauer, March 2023

Philip Ellis
www.philipellisconductor.com

This concert will be conducted by Philip Ellis who was appointed as Music Director of the Surrey Mozart Players in March 2023.  

Since winning first prize in the Leeds Conductors’ Competition in 1991, Philip Ellis has worked extensively throughout the UK conducting many concerts with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, London Mozart Players, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Opera North, City of London Sinfonia, Northern Sinfonia and over 400 concerts with English Sinfonia.  He is a passionate supporter of Music Education and has worked extensively with amateur orchestras, community and youth groups throughout his career.  He is very much looking forward to a long and exciting collaboration with Surrey Mozart Players as their new Music Director, working together with this wonderful orchestra on the next stage of their already distinguished musical journey.

He made his international debut conducting the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1987, leading to engagements with Hong Kong Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, Flanders Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, St Petersburg Symphony, National Orchestra of Mexico, Western Australian Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, Würtembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Neue Philharmonie Westfallen and many broadcast concerts with the BRTN Philharmonic (Brussels) for radio and television.

Philip Ellis works extensively as a conductor for dance.  As conductor for Birmingham Royal Ballet since 1989, he has conducted the majority of their productions.  He also regularly guest-conducts for international ballet companies: The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, La Scala Ballet in Milan, Paris Opera Ballet at the Opera Garnier, The Australian Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Hong Kong Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Korean National Ballet and Gothenburg Ballet.

On CD, he has recorded Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf and Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals with the Philharmonia. Copland Rodeo, Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, El Salon Mexico and a series of Concert Classics discs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Contemporary Clarinet Concertos for Nimbus with Emma Johnson and Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations with Dimitri Ferschtman, recorded live in concert from the Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam.   

In his free time, he is a keen artist, particularly interested in portraiture - working in a wide range of media. A selection of his work can be seen on his website www.philipellisconductor.com and on instagram @philellisart. 

Surrey Mozart Players present an evening of perfect miniatures.  Arensky’s delightful Intermezzo has all the delicacy of a Mendelssohn scherzo; combined with the romantic lyricism of his friend and mentor Tchaikovsky, a real neglected gem of the chamber orchestra repertoire.  Then Fauré offers us a nostalgic glance back at an arcadian past in his famous idyllic Pavane.

The orchestra is delighted to welcome Sophie Kauer as soloist, after much acclaim for her acting and brilliant playing of the Elgar Concerto in the feature film and soundtrack for “Tár”; she will be playing Tchaikovsky’s perfect set of “Rococo” Variations - another composer glancing back at a much-admired bygone age of great craftsmanship and decorative opulence.  The same is true of Schubert’s masterpiece that completes the programme – Mozart is the subject of his admiration in his Symphony No.5, the result is worthy of the best of both composers.    

The Electric Theatre

https://electric.theatre/

The Electric Theatre
Onslow Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 4SZ

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Drinks will be available before the concert and during the interval in the Circuit Bar.