Sara Sant'Ambrogio's biography is headlined "Excellence, Passion, Discipline and Fun," and the New York Times review of her first Carnegie Hall performance said, "There was an irresistible warmth in everything Miss Sant'Ambrogio did."
That's why it's not unusual to find the cellist playing with Sting or with the New York City Ballet. She's won the Tchaikovsky Violoncello Competition in Moscow and the all-Juilliard Schumann Cello Concerto Competition; soloed with orchestras in Atlanta, Beijing, Budapest, Osaka, St. Louis and San Francisco; had her music selected for soundtracks; been profiled in Vogue, Elle, Swing, Gramophone and The Wall Street Journal; won a Grammy Award for her performance of Bernstein's "Arias and Barcarolles" on Koch Records; and was the subject of a feature-length documentary on PBS.
FAQ
Sara Sant’Ambrogio
In Concert
WHEN — 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — Eureka Springs City Auditorium
COST — $10
INFO — theaud.org
She also answers her own email and shared these thoughts about her career and her performance at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Eureka Springs City Auditorium.
Q. Was there ever a moment when you wanted to do something besides music? And if so, what?
A. I broke my elbow once years ago and while it healed, I dabbled in acting. I got a tiny role in a Disney film called "Winning Colors," which went straight to video. It was a lot of fun but did not feed my soul the way music does. So the moment my elbow healed, I was back on stage straddling a cello.
Q. What has been your proudest moment on stage? Your most terrifying?
A. It is hard to say what my proudest moment on stage has been because I adore every single concert I play. Each one feels so fresh and new. It feels so relevant to our moment in time, and each concert feels like a magical experience of communion for me with the audience. I have had some wild moments on stage where the piano lid fell off during a concert and crashed onto the floor, breaking in two! Talk about burning down the house!
Q. How is a career in classical music different/more challenging for a woman?
A. Classical music has traditionally been a male-dominated career, especially chamber music. When my group, the Eroica Trio, started out, there were no women at the top, so we had many doors slammed in our faces. That kind of adversity just pulled us together and fueled us on our journey to shatter that glass ceiling, which we did, I am proud to say!
Q. What do you listen to on your own time?
A. It depends on my mood and the time of day. I love to start my day with Bach or Mozart, and at the end of the day I listen to a lot of jazz and R&B. In the afternoons, I enjoy country, and even hip-hop is satisfying to me in certain moods. I pretty much love all music. I adore listening to classic rock from the Beatles to the Police, especially if I am driving.
Q. What sort of program do you plan for your Eureka Springs performance?
A. We are excited about our program for Eureka Springs. We are doing a sexy Latin set with tangos and a surprise guest performer and a fantastic arrangement I have done of George Gershwin's incredible "Porgy and Bess," some super-charged romantic music, and of course a few jewels for the soul are sprinkled throughout.
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 08/22/2014