She is the subject of the 2019 documentary by Oscar-winning director Allan Miller, PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting (commercially released in 2023).
Sorrell received a full scholarship to the Artist Diploma program of Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied harpsichord with Lisa Crawford and orchestral conducting with Robert Spano.
At age 24 she became one of the youngest students[5] in the conducting program at the Tanglewood Festival, where she studied under Leonard Bernstein and Sir Roger Norrington.
The following year she won First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the 1991 Spivey International Harpsichord Competition held in Atlanta, GA, competing in a field of 70 contestants from Europe, the former Soviet Union, Israel and the U.S.[6] In 1991, Sorrell returned to the U.S. and was immediately invited to interview for the position of Assistant Conductor with The Cleveland Orchestra.
[6] Sorrell's focus with Apollo's Fire has been the 18th-century ideal of Affekt, in which the performers use rhetoric and dramatic inflection to move the emotional moods of the listeners.
In Cleveland, Sorrell's concerts with Apollo's Fire are admired for consistently drawing one of the largest audiences in the country for period-instrument music.
[9] In 1999 Sorrell launched the multicultural folk wing of Apollo's Fire, consisting of hand-picked artists who are steeped in world music traditions as well as historical performance.
The Sunday Times (London) called it "a swaggering version… The most is made of the instrumental colours Bach so exhilaratingly put on show.
"[10] Early Music America called it "stunning... A fabulous harpsichord cadenza played with gusto by Sorrell... perfectly polished.
"[12] The American Record Guide wrote, "Sorrell leads from the harpsichord and delivers a brilliant take-no-captives rendition of the big solo in No.
"[15] Fanfare hailed the disc as "a stunning achievement.... Wins out handily over William Christie's versions and other recent issues.
[25] Sorrell is a frequent speaker to civic and student groups on topics such as entrepreneurial leadership, women as leaders, and building new audiences for the arts.