Norwegian cellist Sandra Lied Haga stands on the threshold of a major career, having already won four international competitions and many major awards in Scandinavia – including the prestigious Equinor Classical Music Award (previously given to Lise Davidsen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Truls Mørk and Vilde Frang a.o). Her rich, beautiful sound and prodigious talent have caught attention worldwide. A remarkably rare absolute pitch formed Sandra’s intuitive musicianship from the very beginning, and made her a sought after soloist who captivates her listeners with what is described as a uniquely beautiful cello tone.
Since her Wigmore Hall debut at the age of 12, Sandra’s passionate playing and the deep feelings she expresses has resonated with audiences and musicians all over the world, including musical centers like New York, Berlin, Prague, London, Zürich, Budapest, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Tallinn and most countries in Europe. As a Soloist and chamber musician she has performed at concert venues including the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, St. Petersburg Philharmonia, Wigmore Hall, the Athenaeum Bucuresti, Salzburger Festspielhaus, Tivoli Vredenburg, Reykjavik’s Harpa and many more.
Sandra has performed with many European orchestras, under conductors such as James Gaffigan, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Ari Rasilainen, Thomas Søndergård, Juanjo Mena, Shao-Chia Lü, Maffeo Scarpis, David Geringas, Bjarte Engeset, Peter Szilvay, Ingar Bergby, Steve Threlfall and Terje Mikkelsen.
In 2019 she recorded her Debut Album featuring Dvorak’s B minor Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations (original version) in legendary Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. The recording, released on Simax Classics/Naxos in May 2020, has received international praise by some of the leading Classical music publications and radio channels, and received a prestigious nomination for the Norwegian Grammy award Spellemannprisen.
As a comitted chamber musician, Sandra has collaborated with a number of prominent artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Janine Jansen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Yo-Yo Ma, Truls Mørk, Paul Lewis, Kathryn Stott, Boris Brovtsyn, Lars Anders Tomter, Amihai Grosz and Piers Lane.
Following her participation in the Verbier Festival Academy, she was invited to give a recital at the Verbier Festival at the age of just 17. Invitations from other major international festivals followed, including the Utrecht Festival, Salzburger Festspiele, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Weilburg Schloss Festspiele, Baden-Baden, Pärnu Music Festival and Bell’Arte Frankfurt. In addition, Sandra is a regular guest at the major festivals in Norway and Scandinavia, including Bergen International Festival, Rosendal International Festival, Risør, Oslo, Stavanger, Fjord Classics, Valdres and Vayla International Festivals.
Born in Oslo in 1994, Sandra started playing the cello at the age of three, and was the youngest ever participant in the Barratt Due Institute of Music´s programme for gifted children. Her teachers have included Oleg Kogan at the London Razumovsky Academy, Frans Helmerson at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin, Truls Mørk, Lars Anders Tomter, Torleif Thedeen at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and Paul Watkins at Yale University.
Sandra’s many international awards include 1. Prizes in Tallinn Young Musician, Heran International Cello Competition, Padova International Music Competition and International Chance Competition in Moscow. She was also the recipient of Grand Prix Laureates, The Bärenreiter Prize, European Union Prize and EMCY Art for Music Prize. Norwegian awards include the prestigious Equinor Classical Music Award in 2019, The Young Lindeman Prize and 8 national 1. Prizes.
Sandra Lied Haga plays a cello by Joannes Florenus Guidantus (Bologna, 1730), kindly provided by Dextra Musica.