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String Area - Cello Faculty Biography
Sara Sant'Ambrogio
Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio first leapt to international attention when she was a winner at the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow, Russia. As a result of her medal, Carnegie Hall invited Ms. Sant'Ambrogio to perform a recital that was filmed by CBS News as part of a profile about her, which was televised nationally. The New York Times described Ms. Sant'Ambrogio's New York debut as "sheer pleasure."
Ms. Sant'Ambrogio has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as Atlanta, the Beijing Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Budapest, Chicago, Dallas, Moscow State Philharmonic, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Osaka Century Orchestra (Japan), St. Louis, San Francisco and Seattle; she has performed throughout the world at major music centers and festivals including Aspen, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Konzert Huset in Stockholm, Marlboro, Mostly Mozart, Musikverein in Vienna, Ravinia, Orchard and Suntory Halls in Tokyo and Great Mountain Festival in Korea.
Sant'Ambrogio has been profiled in Strings, Glamour, Gramophone, Vogue, Strad, Elle, In Fashion, Bon Appetit, Detour, Travel and Leisure, Fanfare and Swing magazines, as well as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, on CBS, ABC, PBS, Fox, USA and CNN networks. Ms. Sant'Ambrogio is the subject of a feature length documentary, which has had multiple airings nationwide on PBS and international networks. She currently has 4 music videos playing on Classic FM TV in the UK and Europe and dozens of other videos on online networks.
Ms. Sant'Ambrogio is a founding member of the Eroica Trio. The Trio won the prestigious 1991 Naumburg Award, resulting in an acclaimed Lincoln Center debut and has since extensively toured the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1997 the Trio opened the "Distinctive Debuts" series at Carnegie Hall, and that year represented Carnegie Hall as the official chamber music ensemble in concerts worldwide. While touring the globe, Eroica has released eight celebrated recordings for Angel EMI Classics Records, garnering multiple Grammy nominations.
Recent highlights for Miss Sant'Ambrogio, were a Grammy nomination for the Eroica Trio's eighth cd "An American Journey", the release of her "Bach Solo Cello Suites, Vol. I" which Gramophone Magazine described as "a miracle of sound" and says "she comes impressively close to the soul of Bach [in a] profoundly compassionate paean to the human spirit", a series of Bach concerts in non traditional venues across the U.S. sponsored by Chimney Rock Winery, her first Beethoven cycle performing all the Sonatas and Variations with pianist William Ransom in five cities, a return to some of her favorite great concert halls in Germany performing the Beethoven Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic and a second tour to New Zealand with the Eroica Trio.
In October of 2011, Sara complimented her "Bach Solo Cello Suites, Vol. I" (Suites 1, 3, & 5) recording with the release of Volume II (Bach Solo Cello Suites 2, 4, & 6). The new album is one of the first classical recordings offered as an environmentally friendly reusable thumb drive with multimedia content. In May 2011, Sara completed an all Chopin recording which will be released in the Spring of 2012. Sara is also currently recording an all Latin album which will be released before the Spring of 2012. In addition to her solo performances in the 11-12 season, this fall, Sara's Trio, Eroica perfromed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 10 of the most prestigious American concert halls.
Miss Sant'Ambrogio performs on a Johannes Gagliano cello, Napoli, ca.1800.
Sara Joined CICA Summer Music Festival as cello faculty and distinguished artist since 2012 and will serve as faculty and CICA 5th international concerto competition judge in 2013.
Always looking to push the boundaries of classical music, in 2011, Sara performed with Sting, Trudie Styler, and Joshua Bell in the production of “Twin Spirits,” the story of the love affair between Robert and Clara Schumann. This summer, a track from Sara’s solo cd, "Dreaming," was featured as the opening soundtrack of the HBO award winning documentary, "A Matter of Taste." Miss Sant'Ambrogio has also collaborated with the New York City Ballet in seven highly successful sold out concerts at Lincoln Center performing The Bach Cello Suites and has performed with Rufus Wainwright in the inauguration of a new concert series at the National Arts Club in New York City. Sara has recorded with the rock group VAST, the Spanish hip hop singer Beatrice, and another piece from "Dreaming" was featured in the soundtrack of the documentary "Jones Beach Boys."
Ms. Sant'Ambrogio started cello studies with her father John Sant'Ambrogio, principal cellist of the St. Louis Symphony, and at the age of 16 was invited on full scholarship to study with David Soyer at the Curtis Institute of Music. Three years later world renowned cellist Leonard Rose invited Ms. Sant'Ambrogio to study at The Juilliard School; within weeks of arriving, she won the all-Juilliard Schumann Cello Concerto Competition, resulting in the first of many performances at Lincoln Center.
In addition to the Tchaikovsky Medal, Ms. Sant'Ambrogio has won numerous international competitions, including The Whitaker, The Dealey, Artists International, and Palm Beach awards. Ms. Sant'Ambrogio won a Grammy Award for her performance of Bernstein's "Arias and Barcarolles" on Koch Records. Ms.
