Sandra Soderlund is primarily an organist although she also performs on harpsichord and both modern and early piano. She teaches harpsichord and organ at Mills College in Oakland, California. Dr. Soderlund holds degrees from Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas. She is the editor of scholarly editions of keyboard works and the author of How Did They Play? How Did They Teach? A History of Keyboard Technique. She has written articles on performance practices and guides to the pipe organ for children and adults. She has recorded for Arkay and Albany Records.
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Soderlund was born in Oakland, California and displayed a passion for music at an early age. She began formal piano study at age five and organ lessons at twelve. Her first major organ recital took place at the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland when she was sixteen.
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Sandra went to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and while there studied piano and music theory with Herbert Bielawa, a young professor from Chicago. They were married soon after her graduation and went to the University of Southern California for graduate study. Sandra earned her Master of Music degree in organ performance and Herb his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition.
After two years in Houston, Texas, where Sandra gave a series of eight recitals at the Rice University chapel, they moved to San Francisco where Herb became Professor of Music at San Francisco State University. They had two children, Bruce and Lisa. Sandra returned to graduate study and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Stanford University.
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Dr. Soderlund has taught at several colleges in the San Francisco Area and was a visiting professor at Stanford University and the University of Colorado. She is presently on the faculty at Mills College in Oakland. She has also served as organist and music director in several churches in the San Francisco area. Soderlund's workshops on various aspects of keyboard performance have been well received on college and university campuses as well as at meetings and conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Music Teachers National Association. (For descriptions of her presentations, see Workshops.)
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Soderlund's concert career has led to performances all over the United States and in Holland, Germany, France, and Korea. She was the first American to play on the New Podium for Contemporary Music at the Haarlem Organ Festival in The Netherlands. She has played many historic instruments and is known for her imaginative and eclectic programming. She plays harpsichord, clavichord, and both modern and early piano in addition to the organ. (For representative programs, see Recitals.) She has recorded for Arkay and Albany Records. (See Recordings.)
Dr. Soderlund has edited several scholarly editions of keyboard works and written guides to the pipe organ for children and adults. She has also written articles for The American Organist, Diapason, and Clavier. She serves on the editorial board for the Early Keyboard Journal. Her book How Did They Play? How Did They Teach? A History of Keyboard Technique was recently published by Hinshaw Music, Inc. (See Publications.)
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