Canadian violinist Sophia Anna Szokolay balances a demanding schedule as performer and educator in New York and Toronto. Currently pursuing a master’s degree at The Juilliard School, she began her violin studies at the age of 3, the fourth generation of a musical family.

 

Sophia made her international solo debut in 2013, touring with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra in Europe. She has since appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout the east coast including A Far Cry, the Toronto Sinfonietta, Etobicoke Philharmonic, Laurentide Festival Orchestra, Scarborough Symphony, Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Recent awards include a Juilliard Career Grant, the Borromeo Guest Artist Award, and top prizes at the Plowman and Fischoff Competitions. 

 

Sophia spends her summer immersed in chamber music at the YellowBarn, Perlman, Taos, Toronto Summer Music, Lake George, and Holland Music Sessions Festivals. This year she joined the guest roster of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and won the associate concertmaster position with Symphony in C in Philadelphia. 

 

As an educator and advocate of community engagement, Sophia holds a Morse Teaching Fellowship at Juilliard where she works closely with elementary school students in Harlem. This year she led music appreciation workshops at Lenox Hill Women’s Shelter in New York, and has brought interactive performances to schools on Long Island as part of the Perlman Music Program. In May 2018, she led the Boston-based Eureka Ensemble as concertmaster in Sheltering Voices, a debut project supporting women experiencing homelessness and poverty through the healing power of music. 

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Sophia earned her Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory with a minor in music theory. Her teachers include Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, Catherine Cho, Barry Shiffman, and Victor Dancheko.