We’ve just released the official video for Sakura, filmed at the historic Maymont Japanese Garden in Richmond, VA! Since 2019, Maria’s creation for solo violin has been part of ABRSM’s violin curriculum which is taught in 93 countries. Want to play Sakura? Buy it at our STORE.

Check out our new show:

Now booking with orchestras worldwide! Have a listen to Queen of the Fiddle, a collaboration between Maria and composer/conductor Sean O’Loughlin:

We had a wonderful time chatting with Kelly Cordes on Minnesota’s New Country Radio 98.1. She put together this insightful article on why your family should join us this September 10! Click the pic to check it out (and listen to our interview):

We had so much fun putting this performance together for you to enjoy! Dozens of livestreams (and our awesome YouTube audience!) have powered us to capture the best sound + video possible in a single, unedited take. This is the culmination of that hard work! We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Click on pic to watch video:

We are delighted to present FEARLESS COVERS, a new livestreamed series in which we improvise with today’s hits.

We performed for a couple-thousand audience members at the Florida Music Education Association’s Annual Conference and, as luck would have it, we found a camera crew willing to fly down the aisles alongside us! We are so grateful to them for capturing our show… and to FMEA and Canada Council for the Arts for making this performance and video possible.

Our March through May concerts have been cancelled, so we wanted to bring some good cheer to you – virtually – in these shared and dark times. We loved performing for the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival in New Orleans last October – today, we join forces once again to bring you this live-streamed performance (our first)!

Humanity is Maria’s response to hearing the cries of children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. She chose the violin & flute to tell the story of a mother and her young son – of hope for a shared future that compels them to run, desperately trying to keep a hold of each other in the face of a world that pulls them apart. Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council for making this composition possible.

Since 2009, Sonic Escape has crisscrossed North America again and again – want to see where?  Check out our interactive map of past and upcoming tours.

Making the switch from bulky pedals to Macbook Pro + Ableton Live was a challenge… and Power was the perfect piece to debut our new setup!  Being able to record, loop, stop and reintroduce lines in real time has never been so fun.  Thank you to the New York State School Music Association for featuring us at their Annual Conference.

We are thrilled at long last to bring you our Guide to Performing – an in-depth romp through all things performance-related.  Tips, hacks and stories from the road that might just provide a nugget or two for aspiring musicians.  New episodes every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

We have discovered the perfect live music photographer – Ashlee Wilcox!  She must’ve been as sweaty as we were, contorting to capture shots from every angle of our show for the National Association for Music Education.  Click the photo for our favorite picks.

Maria just completed her first orchestral work, and hit the recording studio so she could share it with you:

Of course, the day we decided to shoot our video, it rained!  We took it in stride, though, and even wrested a few dry minutes from the weather gods to whip out the drone!  Frizzy hair, muddy feet, rain-infested instruments… it’s all featured in our collaboration with cinematographer Umit Gulsen.  Without further ado, we proudly present:

Our Corpus Christi audience’s energy made us giddy with excitement – they have set the bar HIGH for Texas.  What a lovely introduction to this state… and this was just mid-concert!

The Montgomery Advertiser just published a front-page feature about our concerts and residency in Montgomery, AL.  Click here to read the article, Bringing Music to Life.

See Sonic Escape play their way across North America in candid shots of their concerts, outreach, flash shows, tour van and of course, cats!  Check out their Flickr photostream for a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road…

Staying passionate about climate change is an uphill battle. Show me an image of starving children, animal abuse or yet another shooting and my heart jolts: “This must be stopped,” my brain (or voice) yells as I see red. But climate change? It’s the reverse – a brain-to-heart process of reminding myself, “Yes, this is what I should get fired up about, this is the biggest threat facing mankind!”

Continue reading →

I have always made my living as an independent performing artist.  A 9-to-5 job is as foreign to me as waking up early, establishing a routine or even teaching a student regularly. We artists share one thing in common – we need help!  Funding, booking, housing, brainstorming, bartering, watching, listening, feedback, encouragement… our success depends upon asking and receiving.

Continue reading →

The expert pen of Jeremy D. Bonfiglio proves that the art of storytelling is alive and well!  Check out this beautifully written piece about Maria and Shawn’s fateful trip to Ireland, and the music and relationship that ensued: Classical, Irish traditions merge in Sonic Escape.

It’s been a LONG time since we’ve performed a show in Manhattan, so we’re excited to be doing so in association with The Delancey and our favorite, 9000-member strong New York Vegetarian & Vegan Meetup Group!  Read more and buy your tickets here!

We’re happy to introduce our new concert program, Celtic with a Twist.  We’ve put together a series of videos, with background stories, highlighting works from the show.  Thank you to the S&R Foundation for the gift of filming at the stunning Evermay Estate in Washington, DC.
Continue reading →

We’re delighted to announce that Maria was awarded a grant from Canada Council for the Arts to create Four Seasons Rising!  So excited!

With 3 cameras on hand, Terry Currie did a beautiful job of capturing our performance of Bach in Ireland. Thanks to a long flight from NYC to San Francisco and the availability of an electrical outlet (go Delta!)…

…Maria had a moment to edit together the shots and produce this video that we’re very excited to share with you:

Maria put together this video to explain what we’re all about.  Please enjoy!

Antoine Bancharel captured Sonic Escape‘s season-opening performance for Curiosity Concerts in Greenwich, CT.  Check out his stunning photos here!

Today’s Washington Daily News features Sonic Escape’s interview with Vail Stewart Rumley about their upcoming residency in North Carolina.  The 2 mainstage concerts, 11 outreach shows/public workshops and morning news show appearance run from October 3 – 9.  Check it out – SONIC BLAST: Musicians meld cultures in MainStage concert

After a magical summer away (more about that soon) WE ARE BACK!  We’re putting together some videos from our performances and adventures… here’s the first.  The theme from one of Maria’s favorite childhood movies – Tonari no Totoro – with a twist at the end!

We’re really looking forward to our line up of concerts, workshops and residencies starting in September 2014 – we’ll be touring the South for the first time in addition to returning to the West Coast, Rockies, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, East Coast and (way) up North!  Keep an eye on our calendar as we’ll be posting dates over the next few weeks…

The Telegraph Herald caught wind of Shawn and Maria’s 20-concert, tri-state residency hosted by the Dubuque Arts Council and featured it on their front page!  Read the full story or check out their video with interview & performance clips.  (Article & video by Mary Nevans-Pederson / photos by Jessica Reilly)

“Wonderfully imaginative,” “smile-inducing,” “impressive” and “designed to entertain” – just some of what Stephen Brookes of The Washington Post had to say about Sonic Escape’s performance & original works! Click the logo for the full review.

Our streak of playing for AWESOME Ontario audiences continues!  We’ve now performed in Toronto, Ottawa, Clarendon, Ingersoll, Elora, Sioux Lookout, Kenora and, just last night, Sarnia.  Thanks to the Sarnia Concert Association for reminding us we’ve gotta move here!  Click the pic for a full-size view.

Paul Morden of the Sarnia Observer recently interviewed Shawn about Sonic Escape’s love affair with all things Ontario.  Keep an eye out for the premiere of our vocal/instrumental rendition of The Log Driver’s Waltz – a Canadian folk favourite – this coming Wednesday at the Imperial Theatre in Sarnia!

A mid-concert photo op with the wonderful audience in Mathews, VA!  Thank you to Concerts by the Bay and sound engineer, George, for a delightful afternoon.  It’s always a pleasure to perform when the sound and company are great!  Click the pic for a full-size view.

After a happy whirlwind month on the road, we got to enjoy some downtime and design our new site!  Now all those photos, videos and recordings from our travels & concerts have a home!!  We look forward to sharing our world with you… thanks for stopping by.