Sandra Andersen, Director, Teacher
Sandra Andersen has been teaching private voice for 15 years and is passionate about performing and teaching. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Western Michigan University and a Master of Music in Voice Pedagogy from Arizona State University. She won a full scholarship and attended AIMS (American Institute of Musical Studies) in Graz, Austria to study Opera and German Lieder in 1993.
Sandra has performed opera across the country professionally. She spent several years singing regularly at Arizona Opera, with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and other companies in Arizona and California. Some of those roles include Adalgisa in Norma, Gertrud in Hänsel und Gretel, Le Bergere in L'Enfant et Sortilege, and Ludmilla in The Bartered Bride. During her time with Arizona Opera, Andersen had the opportunity to sing compromario roles and sing chorus in Turandot. Un Ballo in Maschera, Aida, Lucia di Lammermoor, Die Fledermaus, Andrea Chénier, Eugene Onegin and La Boheme. Andersen performed many roles in her home state of Michigan including Lady Billows in Albert Herring, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Mirinda in L'Ormindo, and Pitti-Sing in The Mikado. While living in Chicago, she performed Miss Pinkerton in The Old Maid and the Thief, as well as Isabella in Il pianto di Rodomonte, and Mercedes in Carmen. Andersen performed scenes from La Dafne, L'Euridice, Il Rapimento di Cefalo, La Rappresentatione et Anima et di Corpo and L'Incoronazione di Poppea in various venues around Chicagoland with Ars Musica Chicago. She also recorded the sound track for the PBS special on St. Ignatius Loyola sponsored by Loyola University Chicago.
Mozart's Requiem, Händel's Messiah and St. John's Passion by Bach, are just a few of the oratorios Andersen has performed as the soprano soloist. She was given rave reviews in her performance of the soprano solo in Ein Deutches Requiem by Johannes Brahms with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. The Honolulu Advertiser praised her by saying Andersen "delivered [a] beautiful solo, singing with strong, clear voice... suffused with warmth." In 2005, Andersen had the pleasure to perform Strauss' Vier Letzte Lieder with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra and continues to perform and lecture with that organization.
Sandra has been a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing since 1993 and is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists. Sandra has judged many student competitions such as All-State auditions, Solo and Ensemble and various other voice competitions. She currently is an adjunct professor at Loras College teaching Voice Lessons, Voice Diction, Voice Pedagogy and directing the Opera Workshop. Many of Sandra's students have gone on to win awards at voice competitions, top scholarships at some of the best schools for voice in the country and go on to perform professionally.