Thor Sigurdson, Cellist & Conductor
Described as "red-hot" by Chicago Classical Review, cellist Thor Sigurdson has been thrilling audiences worldwide over the past four decades with his unmistakably committed performances. The New York Times has singled him out for his "evocative, poised playing", and Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel has exclaimed, "Sigurdson is a dynamic player. He carves out phrases passionately. His technique is more than respectable; his tone is juicy."
Sigurdson received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School as one of the final students of the great Leonard Rose (Yo-Yo Ma’s principal teacher), as well as a chamber music pupil of the JSQ’s Robert Mann and Joel Krosnick. He pursued conducting studies at Juilliard as a pupil of Ronald Braunstein, and regularly audited classes with Jorge Mester and Otto Werner Muller. His training also included two Fellowships at the esteemed Tanglewood Music Center, with orchestral performances and conducting studies with Bernstein, Ozawa, Masur, and several other legendary maestros.
Sigurdson was among the initial cellists selected by Michael Tilson Thomas to perform in Miami's celebrated New World Symphony, an ensemble with which he performed and toured internationally for three seasons. He was subsequently hired as Associate Principal Cellist of the Florida Philharmonic, a post he held for 13 years, finishing his tenure as Principal Cellist. In opera, he was principal cellist in performances of Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro in South Carolina and Spoleto Italy with soprano Renée Fleming, and he performed for over 10 years with the Florida Grand Opera. As a soloist and chamber musician, he was a finalist in both the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. His solo career has also included appearances at Italy’s Spoleto Festival, NYC’s Summergarden Series at MOMA, Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Recital Hall, and at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Sought after as a superb studio musician, Sigurdson's cello solos have been featured on albums by Gloria Estefan, Extreme, Collective Soul, Zakk Wylde, Plácido Domingo, and many others. For almost 30 years he's been a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the annual Grammy Awards. His own debut recording of favorite cello solos with harpist Nichole Young, entitled After a Dream, is now available. He also recently recorded the cello sonatas of both Shostakovich and Rachmaninov with pianist Elena Lyalina.
In addition to his vast musical background, Sigurdson also forged a brief but successful business career, culminating with earning an MBA from the prestigious University of Chicago. He continues to focus much of his attention on crafting ideas to bring classical music to a wider audience of concertgoers through the application of technology in music education. It’s his sincere belief that VR video games will soon begin playing a significant role in exposing kids (and adults) to classical music, and his business background will enable him to collaborate in the creation of these groundbreaking products.
Sigurdson’s love of the music of Haydn is evident in ventures he’s creating around this musical giant, specifically his past chamber orchestra, the Haydn Society of Florida, and his all-new chamber music academy currently being crafted in Ann Arbor, HaydnSEEK. Sigurdson is particularly inspired by Haydn’s reputation as a musical innovator and entrepreneur, and it is among his greatest life goals to combine his own business skills with his passion for music education to create a dynamic brand of educational programming and resources will also be called HaydnSEEK, in homage to Papa Haydn.
After recently relocating his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his wife is earning a PhD in Anthropology, Sigurdson continues to pursue his solo career in earnest, performing at least once a month as a concerto soloist or chamber musician, and also featuring his students and chamber music pupils in recitals. In between concerts he remains committed to training young musicians throughout the Detroit area.
Thor S Sigurdson
708-205-4212
www.thorsigurdson.com
[email protected]
Described as "red-hot" by Chicago Classical Review, cellist Thor Sigurdson has been thrilling audiences worldwide over the past four decades with his unmistakably committed performances. The New York Times has singled him out for his "evocative, poised playing", and Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel has exclaimed, "Sigurdson is a dynamic player. He carves out phrases passionately. His technique is more than respectable; his tone is juicy."
Sigurdson received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School as one of the final students of the great Leonard Rose (Yo-Yo Ma’s principal teacher), as well as a chamber music pupil of the JSQ’s Robert Mann and Joel Krosnick. He pursued conducting studies at Juilliard as a pupil of Ronald Braunstein, and regularly audited classes with Jorge Mester and Otto Werner Muller. His training also included two Fellowships at the esteemed Tanglewood Music Center, with orchestral performances and conducting studies with Bernstein, Ozawa, Masur, and several other legendary maestros.
Sigurdson was among the initial cellists selected by Michael Tilson Thomas to perform in Miami's celebrated New World Symphony, an ensemble with which he performed and toured internationally for three seasons. He was subsequently hired as Associate Principal Cellist of the Florida Philharmonic, a post he held for 13 years, finishing his tenure as Principal Cellist. In opera, he was principal cellist in performances of Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro in South Carolina and Spoleto Italy with soprano Renée Fleming, and he performed for over 10 years with the Florida Grand Opera. As a soloist and chamber musician, he was a finalist in both the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. His solo career has also included appearances at Italy’s Spoleto Festival, NYC’s Summergarden Series at MOMA, Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Recital Hall, and at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Sought after as a superb studio musician, Sigurdson's cello solos have been featured on albums by Gloria Estefan, Extreme, Collective Soul, Zakk Wylde, Plácido Domingo, and many others. For almost 30 years he's been a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which presents the annual Grammy Awards. His own debut recording of favorite cello solos with harpist Nichole Young, entitled After a Dream, is now available. He also recently recorded the cello sonatas of both Shostakovich and Rachmaninov with pianist Elena Lyalina.
In addition to his vast musical background, Sigurdson also forged a brief but successful business career, culminating with earning an MBA from the prestigious University of Chicago. He continues to focus much of his attention on crafting ideas to bring classical music to a wider audience of concertgoers through the application of technology in music education. It’s his sincere belief that VR video games will soon begin playing a significant role in exposing kids (and adults) to classical music, and his business background will enable him to collaborate in the creation of these groundbreaking products.
Sigurdson’s love of the music of Haydn is evident in ventures he’s creating around this musical giant, specifically his past chamber orchestra, the Haydn Society of Florida, and his all-new chamber music academy currently being crafted in Ann Arbor, HaydnSEEK. Sigurdson is particularly inspired by Haydn’s reputation as a musical innovator and entrepreneur, and it is among his greatest life goals to combine his own business skills with his passion for music education to create a dynamic brand of educational programming and resources will also be called HaydnSEEK, in homage to Papa Haydn.
After recently relocating his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his wife is earning a PhD in Anthropology, Sigurdson continues to pursue his solo career in earnest, performing at least once a month as a concerto soloist or chamber musician, and also featuring his students and chamber music pupils in recitals. In between concerts he remains committed to training young musicians throughout the Detroit area.
Thor S Sigurdson
708-205-4212
www.thorsigurdson.com
[email protected]
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