The Parma Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 3:00 PM at Valley Forge High School Auditorium located at 9999 Independence Boulevard in Parma Heights. 

Music Director Dr. Randolph P. Laycock will feature Andrew Sords, violin & Sawyer Thomson, cello performing:  Brahms Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 and a selection of Holiday Favorites

 

The orchestra, in its 47^th season consists of 75 members of all walks of life from all over the entire Greater Cleveland area.  They meet weekly for rehearsals and present at least four concerts annually.

General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.  Family passes of $20 are available for families of up to 2 adults and their children.  All tickets are available at the door beginning at 2:30 PM.

The Parma Symphony Orchestra is a self-supporting community orchestra in cooperation with the Parma City Schools.  For more information can be found on Facebook, web-site www.parmasymphony.org or calling Business Manager Joe Germana 440-882-2012.

American violinist Andrew Sords is recognized internationally for his performances combining visceral virtuosity and ravishing tone.  Hailed in the press as “a fully formed artist” (Kalisz-Poland News), “utterly radiant” (Canada’s Arts Forum), and “exceptionally heartfelt and soulful” (St. Maarten’s Daily Herald), Sords has received numerous awards and distinctions reflecting his career trajectory, including the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Career Grant and the NFMC Young Artist Award.

Born in Newark, Delaware, Sords began piano lessons at the age of 5, followed shortly by violin studies with Liza Grossman.  Sords became a pupil of Linda Cerone, David Russell, and Chee-Yun Kim at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Southern Methodist University, and a series of international invitations helped catapult a solo career that has since spanned 4 continents and over 200 orchestras.

Andrew Sords has appeared regularly with celebrated orchestras and conductors.  In recent seasons, concerto collaborations have included the Oakland Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Kalisz Philharmonic, Chattanooga Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, North State Symphony, Toronto Philharmonia, Gulf Coast Symphony and Melbourne Chamber Symphony, among numerous others. Sords has appeared regularly as a guest on the festival circuit including summer appearances in Fairbanks, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and the Republic of Georgia with Liana Isakadze's World Virtuosi. With Ms. Isakadze's ensemble, Sords appears in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall.

A man of diverse interests, Sords competed in the charity fundraiser “Pittsburgh’s Dancing With The Stars” as the first classical artist to do so.  Sords has performed numerous times for GLBT outreach, including return appearances with the Minnesota Philharmonic, Atlanta Philharmonic, and on Sirius XM’s Derek and Romaine Show. Additionally, Sords performed the National Anthem for ESPN2’s WNBA Pride Game (2014).  Inspired by living composers, Sords is dedicated to introducing works of our times including Joan Tower, Evan Fein, and Stephen Feigenbaum. Sords' recent collaboration with Sean Christopher on the New-Age album “Transcendence” has been a commercial and critical success, with reviews stating: “much of this is owed to the gorgeous and precise playing of Andrew Sords, whose violin adds a thrumming undercurrent of pure life throughout the album’s stainless steel structure.” This album is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and CDBaby.  Sords is represented by EMC Artists, Ltd., and makes his home in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

American cellist SAWYER THOMSON has garnered accolades as a performer equally at home in concerto appearances, chamber music, and the orchestral literature. From performances in the United States and Canada to honing his knowledge of fine instruments at J&A Beare Rare Violins (London), Mr. Thomson has established himself as a versatile artist.

 A native of Dover, Ohio, Mr. Thomson began cello lessons with Keith Robinson, and recently earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) as a student of Sharon Robinson. While at CIM, Mr. Thomson regularly served as principal cellist for the orchestra and was selected to participate in the Advanced Piano Trio Program. Summers spent at the Kent/Blossom music festival included performances alongside The Cleveland Orchestra under such conductors as Christoph von Dohnányi, Stéphane Denève, and David Zinman.  

 

Mr. Thomson made his concerto debut as a winner of the Akron Youth Symphony competition in a performance of the Elgar concerto. Shortly thereafter, he appeared as soloist with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic (Dvorak), and in 2014 he made his debut on the Trinity Cathedral Series (Cleveland, Ohio). Upcoming appearances include the Brahms double concerto with the Parma Symphony (Ohio) and the Mendelssohn piano trios at respected Canadian venues in Toronto, Guelph, Durham, and Kitchener-Waterloo.  Mr. Thomson performs on a rare Italian cello crafted by Giovanni Grancino in 1690, and makes his home in Cleveland, Ohio.