Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Armstrong. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Award-Winning Violinist, Children’s Book Author, Influencer, World traveler Sophie Armstrong is also a mother of three young children, a wife, educator, composer, performer and creator with a passion for living! Sophie has traveled the globe with her music career, and continued to do so with her young family, and shares her story through music, inspiring audiences to feel. Born in London, United Kingdom and raised in Sydney, Australia, Sophie is currently based in Kelowna, British Columbia and loves gathering inspiration from difference cultures and sharing them through her music, her stories and her family.
Australian Sophie is a Canada based world beat solo violinist with classical influences. Described as passionate and fearless, Sophie inspires and intrigues audiences as she takes them into her fantasies through her world beat sound.
Born in London, United Kingdom and raised in Sydney, Australia, Sophie has performed all over the globe, gathering inspiration from difference cultures to create her own style of world-beat and classical music. As Robert O’Brien from Black & White Magazine Australia says, ‘if flame haired violinist (Sophie) can lead that audience to a place where classical meets pop and rock, the rest is easy.’ Mix those sounds with influence’s from Sophie’s travels and that is her culturally diverse style.
Sophie is most at home most whenever she is on stage. Raised in a family of classical musicians, the violinist rebelled and started her own career in heavy metal before exploring many genres and performing with other artists before defining her own direction. After attaining her Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Sydney Conservatorium (Violin Major), Sophie’s travel to distant locations for performances in cities in the middle east and Europe drew her into the world of theatrical performances, dance, pop, middle eastern and modern classical music.
Sophie has worked with EMI and Warner Music Artists including Goldfrapp, The Hoodoo Gurus, Josh Groban and The Veronicas, and has performed for Olivia Newton-John and dignitaries including the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed at the Emirates Palace in Sao Paolo, Brazil, the Bahraini Royal Family and Australian Ambassador of Turkey, and Crown Prince & Princess Mary & Frederik of Denmark.
Since relocating to Canada in 2011, Sophie has performed with members of the Canadian Tenors, Chantal Kreviazuk, Juno award winner Jarvis Church (Philosopher Kings), Juno award winner Keshia Chante, Dan Hill, Mark Masri, and Juno-Award winning guitarists Pavlo & Oscar Lopez. Sophie spent most of 2013 writing and recording with artists including Grammy & Juno Award winner Dan Hill, Amy Sky, Mark Masri and Pavlo among others.
In 2014 Sophie won The Women of Vision Award from Global Television Edmonton Canada in 2014 and The Cultural Ambassador Award at the national 2017 Women of Inspiration Awards in Calgary, Canada. In October 2015, Sophie released ‘Kissed by the Moon’ a lullaby album featuring original compositions by Sophie, and popular classics—including the famed ‘Brahms’ Lullaby’. The album features Sophie on violin, Susanne Ruberg Gordon on piano, and Russell Broom on classical guitar. The album The Journey was released in August 2016. Sophie then took almost four years off, only doing a few selected concerts and appearances, to have her three children. Now a mother of three, Sophie returns to her recording career and the stage this year, celebrating her Scottish heritage with her new Celtic Pop single Unvanquished. Released on October 8th 2019, Unvanquished is co-written with and produced by Rob Wells.
Sophie’s Album Christmas Classics will be released this December, and the album, a collaboration with Canadian harpist Chantal Dube (known for her work with Drake) is a beautiful recording of some all time Christmas favorites on harp and violin.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has absolutely not been smooth, but I will say that the challenges, while some were easier than others to overcome, have definitely helped me become who I am. This could be a longer conversation but to summarize the challenges, I would share this:
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love sharing my music- my style is I guess, you would call it world beat meets classical crossover. I share my story through music, and I have been fortunate to perform all over the globe, gathering inspiration from different cultures. I am known for performing in bare feet and interacting with the audience and playing my own original music. When I started 20 years ago, I was one of a few who performed on electric violin globally in this style. It’s awesome to see that it’s very common now! I’m most proud of doing what I felt I wanted to do, even when I had no one paving the way for me and so many telling me I would never make a living.
What’s next?
Currently I’m drawing on my experience on stage, my studies in theatre and stage craft within my course Master Your Audience. It’s amazing to work with some of the most talented people who just need the missing links to engage their audience- to perform at their best. There are doctors, dentists, professors, who have great presentations to share but they lack the ability to communicate with their audiences and fully utilize their stage and plan out a presentation. I am enjoying this while I’m not performing as much during Covid. I’m also super excited about a children’s book and soundtrack I have been working on with British Artist Pearl Bates that is coming out next year, and I have two new singles coming out early 2022 as well. It’s not easy to plan right now, with so much of my career having been traveling all over the globe, but I’m excited to find new adventures and reach my audience in whatever way I can.
Pricing:
- Solo corporate performances start at $4000
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sophiearmstrong.ca
- Website: https://sophiearmstrong.ca/
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sophieplaysviolin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophieplaysviolin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sophiearmstrongmusic
Image Credits
1st Image – Linda Patterson 2nd Image – taken from video footage by Paul Spenard Phil Crozier – all the rest of the images
