| Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Nadja Rose Catherine Salerno-Sonnenberg |
| Born | January 10, 1961 Rome, Italy |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupations | Musician, author |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | EMI, Nonesuch, NSS Music |
| Website | Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg |
Nadja Rose Catherine Salerno-Sonnenberg (born January 10, 1961) is an Italian-born classical violinist, author, and teacher. She is a United States citizen.
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Salerno-Sonnenberg was born in Rome. She immigrated with her family to the United States at the age of eight, relocating to Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and later with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1981, she became the youngest-ever prizewinner in the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. She has been honored with an Avery Fisher Career Grant (1983), and in 1999 she received the Avery Fisher Prize, for "outstanding achievement and excellence in music."
In 1994, Salerno-Sonnenberg badly injured one of her fingers in a kitchen accident, a potentially career-ending injury. Her fingertip was surgically re-attached, and by 1996 she returned to performing.[1] She has been a frequent guest on NBC's The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and has also been featured on the CBS News 60 Minutes news program. In May 1999, 60 Minutes II aired a follow-up to 60 Minutes' 1986 feature about her. She has also appeared on the sitcom Dharma & Greg
Salerno-Sonnenberg has released many recordings on the Angel/EMI Classics, Nonesuch, and NSS Music labels. She has performed with orchestras around the world and played at the White House. She has also performed with such popular artists as Mandy Patinkin, Joe Jackson, and Mark O'Connor. She has frequently collaborated with the pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.
In 1989, she wrote Nadja: On My Way (ISBN 051757392X. ISBN 978-0517573921), an autobiography written for children. In May 1999 she received an honorary Master of Musical Arts degree from New Mexico State University, the first honorary degree that university ever awarded. She is also the subject of Paola di Florio's documentary, Speaking in Strings, released by Docurama.
Salerno-Sonnenberg was selected to be the Music Director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra, and began leading the orchestra in the fall of 2008.[2]
Salerno-Sonnenberg holds U.S. patent no. 5,121,928, for a movie-trivia board game.[3]
On NSS Music: