Italian-born classical violinist and music director of the New Century Orchestra Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg performs at Denison University in Granville, Ohio on February 3, 2011 with the New Century Chamber Orchestra, playing music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Astor Piazzolla, Béla Bartok and Hugo Wolf. I've heard Nadja perform several times over the years with orchestras and in recitals. Such was her intensity and her physical strength that I feared for the violin! Listen, you gotta love anyone who writes on their website: "I am replacing all of my mirrors with fun house mirrors. The ones that make you look skinny and tall. That way, each time I pass one, I will be able to say, 'Nadja, you are hot! You are so hot, dammit!'" Nadja's solo career continues apace, but she is spending a fair amount of time touring and recording with New Century Chamber Orchestra. Their first album together, actually, called Together, features Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, Gustav Mahler's Adagietto and a magnificent account of Richard Strauss' Metamorphosen. Add this to Nadja's large (and expanding) discography of concerti and recital works going back twenty years. New Century Chamber Orchestra is a 20 plus member string orchestra based in San Francisco performing without a conductor. After only a few guest performances with the orchestra, Salerno-Sonnenberg took on the role of music director. Go behind the scenes with the recording of Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and New Century Chamber Orchestra's first album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMn2qmscxQ4
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.