Sophia Serghi

Education

Ms. Serghi studied with Vincent McDermott at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon from 1990-94, where she earned her BA cum laude, and then with George Edwards, Jonathan D. Kramer and Fred Lerdahl at Columbia University from 1994-98, where she earned her MA and DMA.     

She also attended the Aspen Music Festival in 1992-93, where she studied with George Tsontakis, and the Oregon Bach Festival in 1995-96, where she studied with John Harbison, Robert Kyr and Judith Weir. In addition, she studied with Betsy Jolas at the École des Arts Américaines in Fontainebleau in 1997 and has attended masterclasses with William Albright, Louis Andriessen, Theodore Antoniou, Jacob Druckman, Lou Harrison, Frederic Rzewski, and Joan Tower.

Background

Serghi, Sophia (b. 1972, Nicosia,). Cypriot composer, now resident in the USA, of stage, orchestral, chamber, vocal and multi-media works that have been performed in Europe and the USA.  Many ensembles and orchestras have performed her music, including the American Composers Orchestra, the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, the Chilingirian String Quartet, the Cyprus State Orchestra, Duo Palmos, Ensemble Sizzle, and the Greek Contemporary Music Ensemble. The Haifa Symphony Orchestra, The Nash Ensemble, the Orchestra of Colors, Speculum Musicae, and Trio Athene have also performed her works. Ms Serghi has written music for multi-media productions including an Opera “The Noah’s – a climatic Tale” at Theatre Pompoen in Amsterdam, several theatre productions with the Cyprus National Theatre Company, feature films and documentaries.

From 1996-98, she served as the pianist of the multimedia ensemble Ultra-Violet in New York City and from 1998-present served as director of the HY-PER Art Ensemble at the College of William and Mary. Since 2000, she has been the artistic director and pianist of the SCHIZO5 Ensemble in Cyprus.

Sophia Serghi is the Robert F and Sarah M Boyd Distinguished Associate Professor of Music at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, USA.

Research

Most recently, she has received a commission and international broadcast from the European Union for the work Palingenesis, for orchestra, to celebrate the entrance of Cyprus in the European Union. Other recent commissions include the Nash Ensemble, Relache, the Cyprus National Theatre, the Athens Concert Hall and Helikon Saxophone Quartet. She served as artist-in-residence at the Cité International des Arts in Paris (2000, on a Virginia Atelier Award), the Banff Centre for the Arts (1998) and received the Salvatore Martirano Composition Award from the University of Illinois (2000, for Sizzle) and Third Prize in the Center for Mediterranean Music Composition Award (2002, for Flying Flowers).

In October, 2009, Sophia Serghi (on piano), along with the Flux String Quartet, soprano Michelle Trovato, violinist Susan Via, and double bassist Dan Via, performed some of her original chamber works in a show entitled From Byzantium to Punk Rock at The Kennedy Center.   To watch a portion of this performance, click here.

Honors, Prizes, and Awards

Among her honors are the Fulbright and Presidential scholars (1990-94) and the Cheney (1992-93) and Rena Ratte (1994) awards at Lewis and Clark College and the Mellon Fellowship (1994-98) and the Edna and Boris Rapoport Prize (1995) at Columbia University. Other honors include First prizes in the Cyprus State Orchestra (1997, for Kavo Greko), the Athens Concert Hall Greek Composers (1998, for Sizzle) and the American Composers Orchestra Whittaker award (1999, for Panegyric) competitions.