2019 Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund recipient
Sophia Ayer, age 16, is a junior at UT High School in Austin, Texas. She began studying the violin at age 5 and currently studies with Dr. Pasha Sabouri. She has been a prizewinner in the national Sphinx Competition for strings, Juanita Miller Concerto Competition, Starlight Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and the Austin Symphony Concerto Competition. She has soloed with regional orchestras as well as the Sphinx Symphony and has served as concertmaster for the Austin Youth Symphony, as well as the McCallum High School Chamber Orchestra and Region 18 Symphony Orchestra. Sophia has performed in masterclasses for renowned artists including Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, Vadim Gluzman, Jan Sloman, Jinjoo Cho, Martin Beaver, and the Emerson String Quartet. She plays on violin Opus 821, made by Douglas Cox, violin maker in Brattleboro, Vermont through a Sphinx Music Organization loan. Sophia has attended summer festivals including the Aspen Music Festival under the tutelage of Paul Kantor, the Meadowmount School of Music with Gerardo Ribeiro, ENCORE Chamber Music, and Texas Strings Festival. Outside of music she enjoys reading, math, swimming, and spending time with friends and family. She is very excited about a long career in music.