Sandrine Erdely-Sayo
Encyclopedia
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo, born October 11, 1968, in Perpignan
, France
, is a Jewish French
-American
pianist. She was a child prodigy
who could play Bach
and read music before knowing how to read a book.
at the age of four at the Perpignan Conservatory in France
, with Michèle Puig (Pablo Casals
' goddaughter). At ten, she was awarded first prize at the Bellan Competition in Paris. Three years later she won gold medals in piano
and chamber music
and the following year, the "prix d'excellence à l'unanimité".
She continued her musical studies with Denyse Rivière and with Christian Manen (First Grand Prize of Rome) at the Conservatoire de Paris
where she received first prize for specialization in solfège
. There, she pursued special studies in harmony
, counterpoint
and fugue
.
She became the youngest recipient of the French minister of Culture Prize at the age of thirteen. Four years later, she won first prize at the Scène Française International Piano Competition, in Paris, was a prize winner at the IBLA International Competition
in Italy
, and was semi-finalist at the "Torneo Internazionale di Musica" in Rome
, Italy
.
At the age of 14, she wrote three pieces for chamber orchestra which were played at the Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris. She came to the United States
in 1990 for graduate studies with Susan Starr
at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia where she received a Master's Degree
in piano
and composition
, and won the Orchestra
Competition and the Strine Award scholarship.
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo has played in many festivals such as Mozart, Bach Festival
, Festival International des Arts, Festival de Prades, the Louvre
, Jewish Film Festival with the American writer Cynthia Ozick
, Festival of the "Hispanidad", and for radio and television in France
, United States
, Spain
, Italy
, and Argentina
.
In 1999, Erdely-Sayo made her Chicago debut at Preston Bradley Hall for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert.
As a chamber musician, she has performed the major repertoire by Poulenc
, Messiaen, and Bartok.
Her performances combine technical virtuosity, creative interpretation and a magical lightness that makes classical music accessible to all. She communicates with the audience musically and verbally to share history, personal experience, and humor.
She has recorded the integral work of Primitivo Lazaro
in two CDs featured at OnClassical
. She has given the world premiere of pieces by Argentine
composers and the modern world premiere of a discovered piece by Francis Poulenc
at Towson University
.
Erdely-Sayo is an honorary member of Darius Milhaud international Competition and she is a member of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
.
She is currently teaching at Temple University
Music Prep. and at the well-known Lawrenceville School
.
She has been listed in several editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who of American Women, and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders under the age of 40.
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo was granted permanent residency in April 1996 as an artist of exceptional ability and as a national interest for the United States. She became an American citizen on February 15, 2007.
Erdely-Sayo's favorite scientists, philosophers and writers: Albert Einstein
, Évariste Galois
, Vladimir Jankelevitch
, Emmanuel Levinas
, Irène Frain, Honoré de Balzac
, Marcel Proust
.
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is a Jewish French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist. She was a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
who could play Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and read music before knowing how to read a book.
Biography
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo began studying pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at the age of four at the Perpignan Conservatory in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with Michèle Puig (Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
' goddaughter). At ten, she was awarded first prize at the Bellan Competition in Paris. Three years later she won gold medals in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and the following year, the "prix d'excellence à l'unanimité".
She continued her musical studies with Denyse Rivière and with Christian Manen (First Grand Prize of Rome) at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
where she received first prize for specialization in solfège
Solfege
In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
. There, she pursued special studies in harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
and fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
.
She became the youngest recipient of the French minister of Culture Prize at the age of thirteen. Four years later, she won first prize at the Scène Française International Piano Competition, in Paris, was a prize winner at the IBLA International Competition
IBLA International Competition
IBLA International Competition is a Sicilian music competition.-Praise:The IBLA Awards have been officially commended by New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York State Governor George E. Pataki, United States Senator Alfonse M...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and was semi-finalist at the "Torneo Internazionale di Musica" in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
At the age of 14, she wrote three pieces for chamber orchestra which were played at the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
in Paris. She came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1990 for graduate studies with Susan Starr
Susan Starr
-Biography:She began her studies with Eleanor Sokoloff at age four. She later entered the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Rudolf Serkin until her graduation in 1961...
at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia where she received a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, and won the Orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
Competition and the Strine Award scholarship.
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo has played in many festivals such as Mozart, Bach Festival
Bach Festival
Bach Festivals are annual classical music festival held to celebrate the memory of the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Various locations throughout the world held a festival dedicated to Bach...
, Festival International des Arts, Festival de Prades, the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
, Jewish Film Festival with the American writer Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick
Cynthia Ozick is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist. She is the niece of the Hebraist Abraham Regelson.-Background:Cynthia Shoshana Ozick was born in New York City, the second of two children...
, Festival of the "Hispanidad", and for radio and television in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
In 1999, Erdely-Sayo made her Chicago debut at Preston Bradley Hall for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert.
As a chamber musician, she has performed the major repertoire by Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
, Messiaen, and Bartok.
Her performances combine technical virtuosity, creative interpretation and a magical lightness that makes classical music accessible to all. She communicates with the audience musically and verbally to share history, personal experience, and humor.
She has recorded the integral work of Primitivo Lazaro
Primitivo Lazaro
Primitivo Lázaro Martínez was a Spanish pianist and composer.Lázaro was born in Fuentemolinos, Burgos, in 1909. Blind from three years of age, he entered at Santa Catalina in Madrid and after a few years was admitted Royal Conservatory of Madrid under the guide of Zacarias Lopez Debesa.He gave...
in two CDs featured at OnClassical
OnClassical
OnClassical is a small Italian independent record label based in Pove del Grappa, Italy. It features classical music mostly for piano or chamber ensemble.- History :...
. She has given the world premiere of pieces by Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
composers and the modern world premiere of a discovered piece by Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
at Towson University
Towson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
.
Erdely-Sayo is an honorary member of Darius Milhaud international Competition and she is a member of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
International Society for Philosophical Enquiry
The International Society for Philosophical Enquiry is a global scientific and philosophical high IQ society founded in 1974. ISPE is dedicated to advanced enquiry, original research and original contributions. Members harness their abilities to enhance the growth and development of enlightened...
.
She is currently teaching at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Music Prep. and at the well-known Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S., five miles southwest of Princeton....
.
She has been listed in several editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who of American Women, and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders under the age of 40.
Sandrine Erdely-Sayo was granted permanent residency in April 1996 as an artist of exceptional ability and as a national interest for the United States. She became an American citizen on February 15, 2007.
Erdely-Sayo's favorite scientists, philosophers and writers: Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Évariste Galois
Évariste Galois
Évariste Galois was a French mathematician born in Bourg-la-Reine. While still in his teens, he was able to determine a necessary and sufficient condition for a polynomial to be solvable by radicals, thereby solving a long-standing problem...
, Vladimir Jankelevitch
Vladimir Jankélévitch
Vladimir Jankélévitch was a French philosopher and musicologist.- Biography :Jankélévitch was the son of Russian Jewish parents, who had emigrated to France....
, Emmanuel Levinas
Emmanuel Lévinas
Emmanuel Levinas was a Lithuanian-born French Jewish philosopher and Talmudic commentator.-Life:Emanuelis Levinas received a traditional Jewish education in Lithuania...
, Irène Frain, Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
, Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
.
Discography
Integral works of Primitivo Lazaro.- July 1998, Randolpho Records - Buenos Aires - Argentina and Weston Sound Philadelphia.
- June 1999 Weston Sound - Philadelphia USA
- April 2007 Voyage - AWPromotions Texas USA
External links
- Official Website
- World Concert Artists Directory
- Musée du Louvre
- Houston Public Radio npr KUHF88 FM with Alison Young - Houston, November 19, 2004
- Philadelphia Music Makers - Insatiable Pianist by Jill Yris - Vol.3 No4, Winter 2004
- Compact Discovery "PRX" Fred Flaxman, March 2008
