bio

Hailed by Time Out New York as one of New York’s “brightest, busiest players,” violist Nadia Sirota has been praised for her “command and eloquence,” (Boston Globe) and for having “energy, fluidity and an ear for electronic coloration” (New York Times). She is best known for her unique interpretations of new scores and for commissioning and premiering works by some of the most talented composers of her generation, including Marcos Balter, Caleb Burhans,  Judd Greenstein, and Nico Muhly. 

A regular guest with such groups as The Meredith Monk Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound and Continuum, she is a founding member of ACME (the American Contemporary Music Ensemble), yMusic, and the Wordless Music Orchestra.

In addition to performing classical concert music, Nadia has performed with such songwriters and bands as Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Stars of the Lid, The Swell Season, Sam Amidon, Doveman, Bryce Dessner, Gabriel Kahane, and Valgeir Sigurðsson, and can be heard on new and recent albums by Grizzly Bear, Ratatat, Doveman, and My Brightest Diamond.

She received her undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School, where she performed as co-founder of the AXIOM ensemble, initiated the Castleman/Amory/Huang studio’s New Music Project, and created the Juilliard Plays Juilliard program for student composers and performers. After winning the top prize in Juilliard’s 2005 concerto competition, Nadia performed Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher with conductor Marin Alsop and the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. As a chamber musician, Nadia has collaborated with such artists as Joseph Kalichstein, Itzhak Perlman, and the Silk Road Ensemble, as well as with members of Kronos Quaret, the Chiara Quartet, and the Peabody Trio. In the fall of 2007, Nadia joined the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music for its new Masters Program in Contemporary Music Performance. 

Nadia has performed in-studio for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, NPR’s Morning Edition, BBC Radio 3, CBS Morning Edition, and A&E Breakfast with the Arts. On May 15, 2009, Nadia will make her solo recording debut on New Amsterdam Records with First Things First, an album of newly-written viola music by Judd Greenstein, Nico Muhly and Marcos Balter. In addition to playing viola, Nadia also hosts Overnight Music on WNYC, 93.9FM and WNYC.org. Her show was recently described by Alex Ross (The Rest is Noise, The New Yorker) as “radio we can believe in.”

More information on MySpace.

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