Sarah Sutton ~ Viola

PA 19083
haroldinitalie@aol.com

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"The resonant tone and spacious musical shaping of violist [Sarah Sutton] riveted attention..."

Sun Sentinel

"Sutton's viola, especially, propelled things ....reminding the listener of Mozart's brilliance..."

Bucks Co. Herald

"Sarah Sutton...held the audience enthralled, deeply moved by the range of emotion and the darkly melancholic timbre of the instrument. It would have been a fitting tribute....if the audience had stood silently following the fading of the last note..."

Saanen Post, Switzerland

"Principal Violist [Sarah Sutton] consistently demonstrated a smooth and velvety solo line......"

Town Topics

Violist [Sarah Sutton] gave the first movement a unique color, depicting the slow, solemn motion of the clouds"

Town Topics

Biography

Ms Sutton has an international profile as both a performer and teacher. As a performer she has brought music to some of the most eminent figures in the history of our time. She has played a command performance for the late Pope John Paul II; was invited to perform at the State Banquet and Celebrations in honor of Nelson Mandella and Queen Elizabeth II, not to mention performances for Diana, Princess of Wales, The Duchess of York and the Duchess of Kent. Her playing has been described by the Saanen Post (Switzerland) as "enthralling", captivating audiences with her "range of emotion and the darkly melancholic timbre of the instrument".

Ms Sutton has performed throughout Europe, North and South America. She has appeared as both soloist and principal violist with the Camerata Lysy Gstaad (Switzerland), and played at many prestigious venues, including the Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels), Teatro Colon (Buenes Aires), the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Albert Hall and St John's Smith Square (London). Festivals include solo and chamber performaces at the Summer Music Festival at Blackthorpe Barn (UK), the Menuhin Festival, Alpen Gala, and Verbier Summer Academy (Switzerland), and Tanglewood (USA). An avid chamber musician, Ms Sutton has collaborated with the Carmina Quartet as Guest Violist in performances as part of the Rencontres Musicales (Switzerland), and has appeared as a soloist in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, with members of the New World Symphony and Nicholas McGeegan. In Philadelphia she performs regularly with the Camerata Philadelphia.

As an orchestral player, Ms Sutton has held the Principal Viola position with the New World Symphony (directed by Michael Tilson-Thomas) and was a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been a guest Sub-Principal with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (UK), participating in the historic EMI recording of Tristan and Isolde with Antonio Pappano and Placido Domingo, and the new production of Das Rheingold, which has been broadcast live on BBC TV and BBC Radio 3. Sarah has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia(formerly the Concerto Soloists) and also appeared as a Guest Principal Violist with the Princeton Symphony and guest artist with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Born in England, Ms Sutton is a graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music (UK), where she studied with Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Simon Rowland-Jones, Yuko Inoue and Mauricio Fuks. She went on to accept a full scholarship at the International Menuhin Music Academy (Switzerland) where her teachers were Johannes Eskaer and Maestro Alberto Lysy. Ms Sutton went on to study with Alan DeVeritch at Indiana University, where she was his Assistant.

Ms. Sutton resides in the Philadelphia area with her husband, William Wozniak, and son Edward. She plays a beautiful viola by Sergio Peresson (anno 1970) named "The Geist", and a small viola modern viola by J.P. Moisy (anno 2019).