Jeannette Sorrell

Jeannette Sorrell is an internationally acclaimed, GRAMMY®️-winning conductor, celebrated as one of today’s most compelling interpreters of Baroque and Classical repertoire. She is the subject of the 2019 documentary PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting, directed by Oscar-winner Allan Miller.

Bridging the worlds of period-instrument performance and modern symphonic music from an early age, Sorrell trained under Leonard Bernstein and Roger Norrington at the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals, and studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam.

As a guest conductor, she has led many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Sorrell is the founder and Artistic Director of the renowned period-instrument ensemble Apollo's Fire. Under her leadership, the ensemble has released 34 recordings, including 14 Billboard classical bestsellers, and earned a GRAMMY®️ Award in 2019. Her acclaimed recordings of Bach’s St. John Passion and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons were named best in their field by The Sunday Times of London.

With over 23 million views on her YouTube performances and a second GRAMMY®️ nomination in 2025, Sorrell continues to reach audiences worldwide with both artistic excellence and emotional depth.

In 2018, shortly before her Carnegie Hall debut, Sorrell discovered that her father was Jewish and had survived imprisonment as a child in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This profound revelation has deepened her commitment to using music as a means of remembrance, reflection, and shared humanity.