Armstrong to perform ‘encore’ recital

Nigel Armstrong, Sonoma’s internationally acclaimed violinist, will perform an “encore” solo recital in Sonoma at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, in Burlingame Hall, 258 W. Spain St., Sonoma.

This will be Armstrong’s last appearance in the states before his return to Europe for the year. Armstrong will perform a varied program, including works by Biber, Bach Ysaye and some surprises. Tickets for this special recital are $35 for adults, $30 for members of the Sonoma Classical Music Society and $10 for students.

Tickets will be available at the door.

Hailed as “an astonishing talent with exquisite technique” and as “gifted” and “blazing” by the Chicago Tribune, Armstrong began his violin studies in Sonoma at the age of 5 with Leta Davis. He made his debut in 2002 with the Baroque Sinfonia and has since performed with the Boston Pops and Norwegian Radio Orchestras, the Reno and Burbank philharmonic symphonies, the Berkeley and Downey symphony orchestras, Bozeman Symphony, San Francisco Youth Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Teatro Colon, Argentina, the American Philharmonic of Sonoma County, with which he performed for two seasons, the Marin Symphony, and the American Youth Symphony for which he was concertmaster from 2009 to 2011.

In 2010, he achieved silver medal wins in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in Oslo, Norway, and The First International Violin Competition in Buenos Aires. In both competitions, he won additional prizes, including the Premio Tango award in Buenos Aires, and the Ole Bull and Nordheim awards in Oslo. He was a finalist in the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Competition, receiving fourth prize and winning Best Performance of a Commissioned Work by John Corigliano with “Stomp.

The Sonoma Classical Music Society’s full 2015 season program will be published this fall. For more information, see the Society’s website at sonomaclassical.org.