Sonoko Miriam Welde is one of the most exciting young violinists to emerge from Norway in recent years. Born in Bergen in 1996 she made her debut with the Bergen Philharmonic aged nine and has since gone on to win the Norwegian Soloist Prize and Virtuos competition, as well as representing Norway in the European Broadcasting Union’s Young Musicians Competition. She is currently on the Crescendo programme, being mentored by Janine Jansen, and a recipient of a Statoil Talent Scholarship.
Her appearances include concertos with Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, Kremerata Baltica, Zagreb Soloists, Oslo Camerata, and the Estonian Chamber Orchestra with conductors including Andrew Litton, Johannes Gustavsson, Peter Szilvay and Edward Gardner.
An enthusiastic chamber musician, Sonoko has been championed by Leif Ove Andsnes, with whom she performs regularly, and has also worked with Tabea Zimmermann, Clemens Hagen, Sergio Tiempo, Enrico Pace and Itamar Golan. She appears frequently at the Bergen International Festival and has given recitals at Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, Risør Chamber Music Festival, ArtLink Belgrade, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Bad Ragaz “Next Generation” Festival, Harpa Festival Reykjavik and Norsjø Chamber Music Festival.
Sonoko opens the 18/19 Season with her debut at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and later with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Oslo Philharmonic under Joshua Weilerstein, as well as the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra.
Sonoko studies with Stephan Barratt-Due in Oslo and Kolja Blacher at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin and has benefitted from regular lessons with Vilde Frang and Henning Kraggerud.
She plays a 1714 Alessandro Gagliano kindly on loan from Dextra Musica.
