ROY SONNE  

Violinist, Conductor, Educator

After 28 years in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,

Roy Sonne took early retirement in order to devote himself to an ever-increasing number of musical projects and interests.

Organizing an El Sistema type program in Pittsburgh

Roy is currently working to organize an after school music program in Pittsburgh, based on the spectacularly successful El Sistema program in Venezuela.

Since 1974, El Sistema, an intensive program of social change through music education, has transformed the lives of over 800,000 Venezuelan children from impoverished circumstances. If you don't know about El Sistema, check out their webiste: http://fesnojiv.gob.ve/en/home.html

String teaching project in Bolivia:

Initiating a new activity in 2009, Roy spent six weeks in La Paz, Bolivia, working with string players from the Bolivian National Symphony and the National Conservatory of Music.

• He designed, organized and led a two week Educational Festival/Seminar for strings for the study of basic string playing techniques and their application  into a string orchestra setting.

• In 2010 and 2011 he returned to lead his Festival/Seminar in the cities of Cochabamba and La Paz.

 Clinics and workshops for student orchestras

Roy continues the work he started as a Pittsburgh Symphony Ambassador, making frequent visits to many high schools in the Pittsburgh area, to do workshops and coaching sessions.

His innovative string workshops for community and student orchestras combine group technical instruction, masterclasses and string orchestra.

Private violin teaching

He is currently on the faculty of

Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center

Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory Dept.

He also maintains a large private teaching studio in his home in Mt. Lebanon, PA.

Frequent solo and chamber music performances in the Pittsburgh area

Highlights of recent years

Jazz Violin Excursion

Roy started playing jazz violin at age 60, after a 40 year career as a symphony musician. He studied jazz improv with Christian Howes and James Johnson. He was a founding member of "Blues on First" Pittsburgh's only jazz string quartet. He was a member of the house band the Third Street Gallery in Carnegie, PA.

Founding a jazz string camp

Through playing jazz, Roy's musical universe became so much richer that he became determined to share this experience with other classically trained string players. Working with some exciting and phenomenally talented folks, he founded the  Pittsburgh Jazz and Fiddling Camp at Duquesne University, now preparing for its fifth season and recently renamed Strings Without Boundaries.

Conducting and building a community orchestra

As music director from 1992 to 2004, Roy built the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra into the leading community orchestra in the Pittsburgh area

Violin Excursions

Instructional videos for violin students. The central focus is “Building Musical Artistry” at every level of development, from beginner to professional -- using the resources of technology including digital media, and interactive communication online. http://violinexcursions.com

Classical Cabaret

Evenings of classical music at Cefalo’s Restaurant and Nightclub. Eat, drink, socialize and enjoy a concert by Roy Sonne and Friends. Stay tuned for upcoming performance dates.

Chronological Bio

A native of New York City, ROY SONNE started playing the violin at the age of five.  When he was fifteen he joined a chamber-music class at the Mannes College of Music prep department, which kindled his lifetime passion for string-quartet playing.  He went on to study  music at the New England Conservatory, the Mannes College of Music and Ohio State University.  His violin teachers include Raphael Bronstein and Dorothy DeLay.  He studied piano with Richard Tetley-Kardos and conducting with Carl Bamberger.

In 1969 he became concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia. He made his professional conducting debut with that orchestra in 1970 followed by appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica. During that period he also concertized widely as violin soloist throughout South and Central America.

Returning to the United States he played in the Columbus String Quartet for four years and then joined the faculty of Wittenberg University where he taught violin and chamber music and conducted the University Orchestra.

In 1980 Roy joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He played in their first violin section until 2008 when he took early retirement in order to devote himself to an ever-increasing number of musical projects and interests.  

Combining his interests in conducting and teaching, with his affinity for working with amateur musicians, in 1992 he became Music Director of the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. In twelve years he built that orchestra into the leading community orchestra in the Pittsburgh area

Roy is deeply involved in educational activities. He maintains a large private teaching studio in his home in Mt. Lebanon PA He is on the faculty of the Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory Department. He is also on the faculty of the Music Institute For the Development of Personal Style. He is also a Pittsburgh Symphony Ambassador, making frequent visits to many high schools in the Pittsburgh area, to do workshops and coaching sessions.

In 2003 Roy fulfilled a lifetime yearning, taking up jazz violin. He studied jazz improvisation with James Johnson at the Afro-American Music Institute and James Guerra at City Music Center. He attended the Christian Howes/Yamaha Creative Strings Camp. He was a founding member of “Blues on First” Pittsburgh’s Jazz String Quartet. He has performed with Daphne Alderson, John Burgh, Jeff Grubbs, Jeff Mangone, Tom Roberts, Doug Levine.

Through playing jazz, Roy's musical universe became so much richer that he became determined to share this experience with other string players. In August 2004, Roy organized Pittsburgh's first Jazz String Workshop for classically trained string players. Based on the success of that workshop, in 2005 he organized the Pittsburgh Jazz and Fiddling Camp, now preparing for it's fifth season and recently renamed Strings Without Boundaries.

Somehow, Roy manages to find time to keep up his skills as a pianist. He has made a specialty of accompanying violinists and often appears as accompanist for his PSO colleagues.