Sandrine Erdely-Sayo

Sandrine Erdely-Sayo is a first prize graduate from the Paris Superior Conservatory, prize winner at the Ibla International Competition in Italy, and came to the United States in 1990 for post graduate studies with Susan Starr after winning the "Concours International de la Scène Française" in Paris. She became the youngest recipient of the French Minister of Culture Prize at the age of 13. At 14, she wrote three pieces for chamber orchestra which were played at the Chatelet Theater, in Paris. Since then, Sandrine Erdely-Sayo has been performing as a soloist, in chamber music and with orchestras in Italy, France, Spain, Argentina and in the United States. She has played in many festivals such as the Bach Festival, Festival International des Arts, Prades Festival, Festival of the Hispanidad, the Louvre concerts, the Jewish Film Festival and for radio and television in different countries.
In 1999, Sandrine Erdely-Sayo made her Chicago debut at Preston Bradley Hall for the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert.
As a chamber musician, she has performed the major repertoire by Poulenc, Messiaen and Bartok.

Sandrine Erdely-Sayo began studying piano at the age of 4 with the goddaugher of Pablo Casals, Michèle Puig, at the Perpignan Conservatory, in France. At ten, she was awarded first prize at the Bellan Competition in Paris. Three years later, she won gold medals in piano and chamber music and the following year, the "prix d'excellence à l'unanimité".
She continued her musical studies with Denyse Rivière and with Christian Manen at the "Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris" where she received first prize for specialization in solfège. There, she pursued special studies in harmony, counterpoint and fugue.

Sandrine Erdely-Sayo's performances combine technical virtuosity, creative interpretation and a magical lightness that makes classical music accessible to all. She communicates with the audience musically and verbally to share history, personal experience and humor.

She has given the world premiere of pieces by Argentinean composers and the modern world premiere of a discovered piece by Francis Poulenc at Towson University which she recorded in her new cd Voyage in 2007.
As a recording artist, Sandrine Erdely-Sayo has recorded the integral work of Primitivo Lazaro in 2 CDs and, most recently, a new cd, Voyage, which includes pieces by Liszt, Thalberg, Debussy, Scriabin and Poulenc.

She is an Honorary Member of Darius Milhaud International Piano Competition and a regular judge in several national and international competitions.

In 1996, Sandrine Erdely-Sayo was granted permanent residency as an artist of exceptional ability and as a national interest for the United States. She became an American Citizen in February 2007.

She has been listed in several editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Women and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders under the age of 40.

S a n d r i n e E r d e l y - S a y o

Biography

" No cookie-cutter pianist "
   Philadelphia Inquirer, USA

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