Sofie Thorsbro Dan

Danish violinist Sofie Thorsbro Dan lives in Holstebro (DK) and performs internationally as a chamber and ensemble musician, mainly in the field of contemporary music. Beside her freelance activities she is a violin teacher at Orkesterefterskolen and Skive Musikskole.  

Furthermore she is the founder together with composer James Black, pianist Fei Nie and saxophon player Anja Nedremo of the Danish New Music Academy to be held for the very first time in Aarhus from 1-5 July 2022.

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Mrs Dan was educated at The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus under Emile Cantor and Michelle Makarski, at The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Ernst Kovacic and at The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, from which she graduated in 2015 with a master’s degree in “Performance Practice in Contemporary Music” with Klangforum Wien.
During her studies, she attended several master classes with violinists Ruben Aharonian, Milan Vitek, Eszter Haffner, Mark Gothoni, Graeme Jennings and Priya Mitchell.

While studying in Denmark, Sofie earned internships at the Odense Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and South Jutland Symphony Orchestra.
In 2016/17, Sofie was chosen to take part in the Lucerne Festival Academy under the artistic direction of Wolfgang Rihm and Matthias Pintscher. The two years spent at this academy was a very fruitful experience that gave her the chance to collaborate with great violinists such as Anne Sophie Mutter, Patricija Kopatchinskaja, musicians of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, JACK Quartet and, last but not least, to meet young talented musicians from across the world who shared the same enthusiasm for the music of the 20th and 21st century. She partly led the second violins and functioned as second concertmaster during her time spent at the two academies.

As an exploring and versatile independent violinist and performer, Sofie finds it fundamental to a musician's work to understand the composers of our times and has therefore attended several master classes and courses for contemporary music, such as Donaueschingen Music Days, the International Summer Course for New Music Darmstadt, Impuls Academy Graz and the International Summer Academy OPUS XXI with Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin. She works in various constellations and even performs without the violin if a piece requires it. Sofie plays the hardanger
fiddle (Norwegian folk fiddle) and currently plays a fiddle kindly lent by the Bræmers Scholarship.

Over the past couple of years, Mrs. Dan had the opportunity to work closely with composers and conductors such as Simon Steen-Andersen, Helmut Lachenmann, Beat Furrer, Steve Reich, Enno Poppe, Susanna Mälkki, Brad Lubman and Alan Gilbert and has premiered operas, chamber, ensemble- and orchestral works by Klaus Lang, Olga Neuwirth, Bernhard Lang, Georg-Friedrich Haas and Georges Aperghis. In July 2018, Sofie will take part in the Bang on a Can Summer Festival at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art where, together with selected dedicated musicians, she will work with composers David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon and members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. This residency is kindly supported by SNYK (centre for contemporary and experimental music and sound art in Denmark).

She is regularly invited to renowned festivals and scenes for contemporary music playing together with ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Curious Chamber Players, Klangforum Heidelberg and others. She has played in halls such as Elbphilharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, Lucerne Concert Hall, Berliner Philharmonie and at festivals like Wiener Festwochen, Wien Modern, Lucerne Festival, Festival Internacional Cervantino, Salzburger Festspiele and Berliner Festspiele.
Sofie is an active member of the Curious Chamber Players (SE), Black Page Orchestra (AT) and Vierhalbiert (AT)
Only thanks to great financial support from Danish foundations and The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz was it possible for Sofie to take part in all of these courses and to study in Austria. These Danish foundations include the Knud Højgaards Foundation, Minister Erna Hamiltons' Scholarship for Science and Art, Oticon Foundation and Augustinus Foundation.
Sofie is a proud owner of a violin built by master violin maker Günther H. Lobe.