Sandra Lied Haga
Norwegian cellist Sandra Lied Haga stands on the threshold of a major career, having won four international competitions, a number of European Prizes and the prestigious Equinor Classical Music Award, previously given to Leif Ove Andsnes and Truls Mørk. Her rich, beautiful sound and prodigious talent have caught attention worldwide, and already 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, in prestigious concert venues such as the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, St. Petersburg Philharmonia, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Athenaeum Bucuresti, Salzburger Festspielhaus, Tivoli Vredenburg, Verbier Festival and many more.

Highlights this season include Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Maxim Vengerov in Istanbul, Eskisehir and Royal Albert Hall, a new album release for Simax and a three week tour with Midori in Japan.

In 2019 she recorded her Debut Album featuring Dvorak’s 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. Two new recordings will be released during the upcoming seasons.

As a comitted chamber musician, Sandra has collaborated with a number of prominent artists such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Yo-Yo Ma, Truls Mørk, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Janine Jansen and Paul Lewis.

She has performed with many European orchestras, under conductors such as James Gaffigan, Thomas Søndergård, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Ari Rasilainen, Juanjo Mena, Shao-Chia Lü, David Geringas and Terje Mikkelsen.

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, Moritzburg Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Weilburg Schloss Festspiele and Pärnu Music Festival. In addition, she is a regular guest at all the major festivals in Scandinavia.

Born in Oslo in 1994, Sandra started playing the cello at the age of three. A remarkably rare absolute pitch formed her intuitive musicianship from the very beginning, and she was the youngest ever participant in the Barratt Due Institute of Music´s programme for gifted children. From 2004-2009 she studied with Oleg Kogan at the Razumovsky Academy in London, followed by six years with Truls Mørk. In later years her teachers have been Frans Helmerson in Berlin, Torleif Thedeen and Lars Anders Tomter at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and Paul Watkins at Yale University.

Sandra Lied Haga plays a cello by Joannes Florenus Guidantus (Bologna, 1730), kindly provided by Dextra Musica.