A cellist that has performed with the Paris Orchestra, French National Orchestra, and Belgian National Orchestra, Sonia Wieder-Atherton is a world-renown classical musician. She was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2015 and regularly works with Imogen Cooper and Raphael Oleg.
Born in San Francisco, Wieder-Atherton grew up in New York and Paris. She soon enrolled at Conservatoire National Superieur before moving on to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. After winning the Rostropovich Competition in 1986, she went on to play as a soloist with the Paris Orchestra, French National Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, and Liege Philharmonic. Several composers have dedicated works to her including Henri Dutilleux, Georges Aperghis, Pascal Dusapin, and Betsy Jolas. She has notably played with pianists Imogen Cooper, Jean-Claude Pennetier, and Laurent Cabasso, as well as cellists Raphael Oleg and Silvia Marcovici. As a composer, her credits include A Couch in New York by Chantal Akerman and L’Amour Conjugal by Benoit Barbier.
Wieder-Atherton has recently worked on complete musical and visual experiences including Jewish Songs, Songs of Slavic Lands, Vita, Odyssey for Cello and Imaginary Choir, and Little Girl Blue by Nina Simone. Other recent projects include From the East in Music, Night Dances, and Navire Night. Sonia Wieder-Atherton is one of the finest cellists of her generation and will surely continue her success well into the future.