Jeannette Sorrell

GRAMMY®-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire. The daughter of a European immigrant father and an American mother, she grew up as a musician and dancer, and is credited by BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE for “forging a vibrant, life-affirming approach to early music.” She is the subject of the documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller, titled PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting, commercially released in 2023.

Bridging the period-instrument and symphonic worlds from a young age, Sorrell studied conducting under Leonard Bernstein, Roger Norrington and Robert Spano at the Tanglewood and Aspen music festivals; and studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam. She won First Prize in the Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against over 70 harpsichordists from four continents.

As a guest conductor, Sorrell made her New York Philharmonic debut in 2021 and Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2022, both to rave reviews. She has repeatedly conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco, and New World Symphony; and has also led the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (Bach’s St John Passion), the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Opera St Louis with the St Louis Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic (Canada), Royal Northern Sinfonia (UK), and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (Spain), among others.

In 2023-24, she returns to the New York Philharmonic, and makes debuts with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, the National Arts Centre Chamber Orchestra (Ottawa), and the Orchestra of St Luke’s at Carnegie Hall.

Sorrell has been featured on Living the Classical Life, and has attracted national awards for her creative programming. Her “storytelling” approach to early music has attracted many new listeners to the genre. As the founder and artistic director of APOLLO’S FIRE, she has led the renowned period ensemble in sold-out concerts at many of the world’s major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and London’s BBC Proms. With over 14 million views of their YouTube videos, Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire have released 30 commercial CDs, including 11 bestsellers on the Billboard classical chart and a 2019 GRAMMY® winner.

Her CD recordings of the Bach St John Passion and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons have been chosen as best in the field by the SUNDAY TIMES of London (2020 and 2021). Her Monteverdi Vespers recording was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of “30 Must-Have Recordings for Our Lifetime” (September 2022). Her discography also includes the complete Brandenburg Concerti of Bach (Billboard Classical Top 10 in 2012), four discs of Mozart, Handel’s Messiah, and five creative multicultural projects, including Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain (Billboard Classical #3, and named “Festive Disc of the Year” by GRAMOPHONE). Sorrell received an Artist Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory, an honorary doctorate from Case Western University and an award from the American Musicological Society.