GRAMMY®-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire. She is the subject of the documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller, titled PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting, commercially released in 2023.
Bridging the period-instrument and symphonic worlds from a young age, Sorrell studied conducting under Leonard Bernstein, Roger Norrington and Robert Spano at the Tanglewood and Aspen music festivals; and studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam. She won First Prize in the Spivey International Harpsichord Competition, competing against over 70 harpsichordists from Europe, Israel, the U.S., and the Soviet Union.
As a guest conductor, Sorrell made her New York Philharmonic debut in 2021 to rave reviews and returned in 2023. She has repeatedly conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque in San Francisco, and New World Symphony; and has also led the Philadelphia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center (NYC), Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and the Orchestra of St Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, among others. Upcoming engagements in 2025-26 include return engagements with the New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and Detroit Symphony, and debuts with the Manchester Hallé Orchestra (UK) and the Oregon Symphony,
As founder and conductor of APOLLO’S FIRE, she has led the renowned ensemble at London’s BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, the Madrid Royal Theatre, St Martin-in-the Fields, the Irish National Concert Hall, Library of Congress, and many international venues. Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire have released 34 commercial CDs, including 13 bestsellers on the Billboard classical chart and a 2019 GRAMMY® winner. Her CD recordings of the Bach St John Passion and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons have been chosen as best in the field by the Sunday Times of London (2020 and 2021). Her Monteverdi Vespers recording was chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of “30 Must-Have Recordings for Our Lifetime” (September 2022). Other albums include the complete Brandenburg Concerti of Bach (Billboard Classical Top 10 in 2012), and four discs of Mozart, and five creative multicultural programs.
With over 20 million views of her YouTube videos, Sorrell has attracted national attention and awards for creative programming.
