Sophie Armstrong (born 19 October 1980) formerly known as Sophie Serafino, is a Canada-based Australian

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

. She is the founder of the Every Woman Foundation.

Early life and education

Sophie was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Sydney, Australia, Sophie attended Pymble Ladies College prior to studying music at

Sydney Conservatorium The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

Career

Sophie has a Bachelor of Music Performance (Violin Major) from

Sydney Conservatorium of Music The Sydney Conservatorium of Music (SCM) — formerly the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music, and known by the moniker "The Con" — is the music school of the University of Sydney. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious music ...

in 2009, a Licentiate of Music Performance in Violin Performance (2009) from

Australian Music Examinations Board The Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) is a federated, privately funded corporation which provides a program of examinations for music, speech and drama in Australia. The organisation had its beginnings at the Universities of Melbourne ...

. Sophie became known for her signature style of performance, noted for her movement, connection with the audience, passionate style of playing the violin and her long red hair. Sophie has toured and performed all over the world, locations including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Sardinia, Hamburg, Istanbul, Casablanca, Bahrain, Dubai, Delhi, Tokyo, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles. She has performed for royalty including HRH Prince Frederick and Princess Mary of Denmark. 2002-2004 Sophie released her first album, ''Sophie Serafino'', which she performed at venues in Sydney Australia. Following that, she quickly followed up with the EP ''Carmen'' in 2003, which was launched nationally with a television campaign. In 2004, Sophie took the role of ‘Velma’ in Chicago, which was shown at the Zenith Theatre in Sydney Australia. In the same year, Sophie released the EP ''Give it to Me'' independently at a sold out launch show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney Australia. Her musical style is self-described as a fusion of exotic rhythms and melodies, and many of the audio samples on her site are a composite of world music, electronic pop and classical music. Sophie has become known for mixing styles, singing and playing her own music, described by the Daily Telegraph Australia as "inimitable." During this time Sophie performed for other artists, appearing on Australian television with Josh Groban, at Sydney Opera House with Goldfrapp and recording for artists including the

Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981 by Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, harmonica). Th ...

Purity of Essence (Hoodoo Gurus album). In 2011, Sophie released the singles ''Liquid Crystal'', ''Varna'', and ''I Still Call Australia Home''. 2010-2013 Sophie released her CD ''The Gold Violin'' at a performance at

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

in May 2010, and in 2011 moved to Calgary Canada. In Canada, Sophie collaborated with artists and producers including

Dan Hill Daniel Grafton Hill IV (born 3 June 1954) is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major international hits with his songs " Sometimes When We Touch" and " Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard, as well as a number of other chart ...

Amy Sky Amy Sky (born 24 September 1960) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, theatre actress, and television host. Sky started classical music lessons at the age of five, and plays piano, guitar, cello and recorder. She has a degree from t ...

, Dan Davidson of

Tupelo Honey ''Tupelo Honey'' is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in October 1971 by Warner Bros. Records. Morrison had written all of the songs in Woodstock, New York, before his move to Marin Count ...

, and

Rob Wells Rob Wells (born 1971/1972) is a Canadian producer and songwriter, and is one half of music production team "The Fourth Floor" with award-winning singer/songwriter/recording artist Shobha. Artists that Wells has worked with includes Ariana ...

and Pavlo. Sophie recorded the albums Touch and Temptress in 2013. Temptress was released in December 2014, and Touch released in January 2015. In October 2015, a Lullaby album entitled ''Kissed by the Moon'' was released, followed by The Journey in 2016. In 2021, Sophie was involved in a major car accident that caused significant injuries to her right shoulder. After an attempt to return to the stage in 2022, she subsequently underwent three surgeries and returned to work in 2024. During her time off stage, Sophie completed a children's book ''The Music Thief'' in collaboration with British artist Pearl Bates. The book was released in October 2024 in partnership with Autism Okanagan.

Collaborations

Sophie performed on the Hoodoo Gurus album ''Purity of Essence'' (released 2010) Sophie has performed live with

Chantal Kreviazuk Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk ( ; born May 18, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist. Born in Winnipeg, she played music from a young age before signing with Columbia Records in the 1990s. Her debut studio album, ''Under The ...

Jarvis Church Gerald Eaton (born November 22, 1971) is a Jamaican-Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, also known by his stage name Jarvis Church. Career Eaton is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its p ...

, Clifton Murray and Fraser Walters (

The Canadian Tenors The Tenors (formerly known as The Canadian Tenors) are a vocal group consisting of Victor Micallef, Clifton Murray, Eduardo Aguirre, and Mark Masri. They perform operatic pop music that is a mixture of classical and pop, featuring songs such ...

Keshia Chanté Keshia Chanté Harper (born June 16, 1988) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, television host, actress, humanitarian, and businesswoman. As a teenager, Chanté released her singles "Unpredictable," "Bad Boy," "Does He Love Me," "Shook," "Been G ...

, the Mississauga Youth Theatre.

Awards

* Global Television Canada Women of Vision Edmonton Award (2014) * Women of Inspiration Awards- Cultural Ambassador 2017

Philanthropy

The Every Woman Foundation

Sophie founded the Every Woman Foundation (2008–2018). She served as President of the Foundation in both Canada and the United States. Sophie actively worked within the Foundation’s outreach programs, particularly in music, writing, and teen mentorship. She also partially funded the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Festivals and remained an active board member throughout the Foundation’s operation, which ceased in 2018.

Ovarian Cancer Canada

Sophie is a spokesperson for Ovarian Cancer Canada which is the only registered Canadian charity solely dedicated to overcoming ovarian cancer. Sophie has spoken and performed at numerous events on behalf of the charity including The Calgary Women’s Show in 2012, The Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope Edmonton 2013 which Sophie co-emceed with Global Television presenter Nicola Crosbie, and Sophie also appeared in the 2014 Public Service Awareness Announcement on Global Television.

Other Charitable Contributions

Sophie joined other celebrities on the catwalk at

the Heart Truth The Heart Truth is a campaign meant to raise awareness of the risk of heart disease in women. The campaign is sponsored in the United States by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, an organization of the United States Department of Heal ...

Fashion Show Calgary in support of the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta in 2012, and 2014, and regularly donates her time, and services as a speaker and performer to charities she supports, including the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health Gala in 2013, and the Purple Heart Gala for Discovery House Calgary.

Personal life

Sophie was married to Australian fashion designer John Serafino from 2001 to 2010 (divorced). In 2014, Sophie married Canadian Dionysius David, and they have three children together: a son, Alexander, and two daughters, Victoria and Olivia.

Discography

*''Colliding Worlds'' (Album) released 2004 *''Varna'' (single) released 2011 *''The Gold Violin'' (EP) released 2011 *''Liquid Crystal'' (single) released 2011 *''Who and What She Wants'' (single) released 2014 *''Temptress'' (Album) released 2014 *''Touch'' (Album) released 2015 *''Kissed By the Moon'' (Album) released 2015 *''Casablanca'' (single) released 2016 *''The Journey'' (formerly named Temptress) re-released 2016 *''Unvanquished'' (single) released 2019 *''Christmas Classics'' (Album) released 2019 *''Army of Me'' (Single) released 2020 *''Trapeze'' (2022) *''Via Dolorosa'' (2024)

References

External links

Official website
*
Sophie Serafino
at

Songwriters Association of Canada A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serafino, Sophie 1980 births Living people Australian women violinists Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers 21st-century Australian violinists Australian women singer-songwriters 21st-century Australian singer-songwriters