Violinist Sarah Coyl Re-Imagines Tchaikovsky

Released on Navona Records, the album features arrangements of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty for violin, guitar, and piano

Violinist and arranger Sarah Coyl has re-imagined a set of works by Tchaikovsky that listeners will already know well, and will now be able to hear in a fresh light. Her new arrangements of extracts from the composer's Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty are scored for violin, guitar, and piano.

Several of the movements, including the lyrical "Danses des cygnes," are scored for a violin-guitar duo — creating a sparseness of texture that draws attention both to Tchaikovsky's skill as a writer of melodies and to the warm, resonant timbre of the guitar. Coyl is joined on the album by guitarist Max Case and pianist Angelo Monroy.

Sarah Coyl is presently a member of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and is also on faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno. She holds a master's degree from that same university. She has a particular affinity for ballet music, having worked with Butler University's nationally regarded ballet company as concertmaster and principal second violin for the company's orchestra.

"I’m thrilled to announce that I have an album coming out!" wrote Coyl on social media. "In recent weeks I’ve been overcome with gratitude for the incredible contributions of the collaborators on this album: Max Case, Angelo Monroy, and of course the brilliant producer, Tom Gordon."

The album is available for purchase, or on a range of streaming services, here.