Sophia Elger is a British saxophonist. Her performances have been described as “captivating, exciting, and engaging” (Richard Ingham, CASS Magazine). 

 

In 2023, Sophia received a distinction in her Master of Music (in Performance) degree from the Royal College of Music, having studied with Kyle Horch.  During her master’s degree, she was a Leverhulme Arts Scholar, an Ian Fleming Award holder, and the recipient of the Biddy Baxter and John Hosier Trust Award.

 

She has received numerous prizes, including (in 2021) first pize in the Jane Melber Saxophone Competition, second prize in the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain Competition, and third prize in the RCM Contemporary Competition (all instruments).  In 2020, her saxophone quartet was awarded first prize in the RCM Woodwind Ensemble Competition.  At the end of 2023, Sophia was awarded third prize in the International Saxophone Academy Young Artist Competition.

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Sophia performs both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.  She is passionate about commissioning new works and performing pieces by contemporary composers.  In addition, she has an interest in collaborative projects involving other creative disciplines.

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In 2022, Sophia became a Young Artist with the Musicians’ Company, a Hattori Foundation Senior Award Winner, a DEBUT Horizon Artist, and a Talent Unlimited Artist.  She has created a repertoire of themed programmes: "Celebrating Women", "Classical Meets Jazz", "Duelling Dances", and "Inspirations".  She regularly performs solo recitals with pianists Iain Clarke, Dina Duisen, and Kumi Matsuo, and has performed at London venues including St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James’s Piccadilly, and the 1901 Arts Club.

 

Sophia gave her debut concerto performance when she was 17, performing Alexander Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto with members of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at The Lighthouse Concert Hall, Poole.  In 2021, she performed Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da Camera with the RCM Symphony Orchestra after being placed Second in the RCM Concerto Competition 2020.  Earlier this year, she performed Sally Beamish’s second saxophone concerto, Under the Wing of the Rock, with the Sirius Orchestra.

 

As a chamber musician, Sophia performs with The Tondo Duo and the Spirito Saxophone Quartet, as well as in mixed ensembles. She formed The Tondo Duo with guitarist Declan Hickey at the end of 2023.  This year, they premiered a new commission, by composer Jack Gionis, at St John’s Smith Square, played live in session on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune', and performed at a range of venues including the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall.  The Spirito Saxophone Quartet was formed at the end of 2022.  Most recently, they took part in the London Brandenburg Festival with the Queens Park Singers, where they premiered A Musical Instrument by pianist and composer Hamish Brown.  Last summer, Sophia participated in the London Sinfonietta Academy, giving the live premiere of Fragments by John Woolrich, and performing Bronze by Diana Burrell and Dark Crossing by Mark-Anthony Turnage as part of the ensemble.  She is also a member of the Echo Ensemble.

 

As well as being a musician, Sophia is a visual artist.  In 2020, she directed a project that combined music with the visual arts, Five Figures.  This was a collaborative project of her own conception, involving the commissioning of five composers to write a short solo saxophone piece based on five paintings that she had produced.  Towards the end of 2024, Sophia will be taking part in an interdisciplinary project involving music, visual art, poetry, and dance, envisioned by composer Liz Dilnot Johnson.

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Passionate about teaching, Sophia is a saxophone and clarinet teacher at Brighton College Prep Kensington and at Ealing Junior Music School.  She has given regular music classes at SEND schools Linden Lodge and Swiss Cottage School, and she also teaches privately.  Sophia holds an Enhanced DBS Certificate and a DipABRSM in Instrumental Teaching.