Sandra began playing the cello when she was three years old. At the age of six, she was, as the youngest ever, accepted at the Barratt Due Institute of Music Programme for specially gifted children, where she studied with Tove Sinding-Larsen and Ole Eirik Ree. She is now a student of Truls Mørk.

She has played in master classes and courses with many great musicians, such as David Geringas, Gary Hoffman, Leif Ove Andsnes, Torleif Thedeen, Richard Aaron, Lluis Claret, Reinhard Latzko, Oleg Kogan, Dora Swartzberg and Francis Gouton.

Sandra has given numerous concerts in Norway and abroad, among others in the US, England, Germany, The Czech Republic, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greece, Estonia and Lithuania. She played solo in Wigmore Hall (rewiewed in the Strad) during Barratt Due`s great London-tour in 2006, and has also played several concerts there as part of Razumovsky Academy.

She has many times played solo on television and radio and has been a soloist with professional orchestras such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Kaunas Philharmonia, Parnu City Orchestra, as well as many amateur orchestras.

She has been invited to festivals like the Aspen Music Festival, Bergen International Festival, The International Holland Music Sessions, Kaunas International Music Festival, Parnu Music Festival, Valdres Music Festival and Hardanger Music Festival.

Sandra has been offered a number of scholarships. In 2010 she was invited to Aspen Music Festival where she was given The New Horizon Fellowship.

Sandra has won a number of 1st Prizes in Norwegian and International competitions, with the jurys' highest possible score. She is 1st Prize winner in six national competitions and won the EMCY Prize at Ungdommens Musikkmesterskap (Norwegian Music Competition for Youth) 2010.

Internationally she has won 1st Prize and the Virtuoso-prize in 'Young Musician' in Tallinn, and, in the International Heran competition in the Chzech Republic, she won, only aged eleven, 1st Prize, as well as The Laureate for the whole competition, the Bahrenreiter-prize and the EMCY Prize.

Sandra plays on a Michael Sturzenhofecker cello, kindly lent to her by Dextra Musica.

Sandra was invited by EMCY to perform at Jugend musiziert 2011 in Neubrandenburg, Germany. Her performance was subsequently broadcast on NDR (North German Radio).


Repertoire

Solo

J. S. Bach, Suite no. 1 in G Major (BWV 1007)
J. S. Bach, Suite no. 2 in D minor, Prelude (BWV 1008)
J. S. Bach, Suite no. 3 in C Major (BWV 1009)
J. S. Bach, Suite no. 6 in D Major, Prelude (BWV 1012)
A. Piatti, Several caprices
D. Popper, Several Etudes (Op. 73)
Ø. Sommerfeldt, Mini-suite (Op. 43)

With piano

G. Cassado, Requiebros
F. Chopin, Introduction and Polonaise Brilliante (Op. 3)
F. Chopin, Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, 1st and 2nd movement (Op. 65)
M. de Falla, Suite Populaire Espagnole, El Pano Moruno
A. Dvorak, Rondo in G Major (Op. 94)
A. Dvorak, Waldesruhe (Op. 68, no. 5)
G. Faurè, Après un Rêve (Op. 7, no. 1)
G. Faure, Elegie (Op. 24)
G. Faurè, Papillion (Op. 77)
E. Grieg, Sonata for Cello and Piano in A minor (Op. 36)
A. Kraft, Divertemento
B. Martinu, Moses Variations
F. Mendelssohn, 'Lied Ohne Worte' in D Major (Op. 109)
J. Offenbach, Musette (Op. 24)
A. Piazzolla, Le Grand Tango
D. Popper Hungarian Rapsody (Op. 68)
D. Popper, several of his small pieces
S. Prokofiev, Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major (Op. 119)
S. Rachmaninoff, Vocalise (Op. 34)
B. Romberg, Sonata for Cello and Piano in E minor (Op. 38)
C. Saint-Saens, Allegro Appassionata (Op. 43)
C. Saint-Saens, The Swan
G. B. Sammartini Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Major
F. Schubert, Arpeggione Sonata, 1st Movement
R. Schumann, Adagio and Allegro (Op. 70)
R. Schumann, Fantasy Pieces (Op. 73)
C. G. Sparre Olsen, Norsk kjærleikssong  (Op. 36)
W. H. Squire, Humoresque for cello and piano (Op. 26)
P. Tchaikovsky, Pezzo Capriccioso (Op. 62)
A. Vandini, Sonata for Cello and Piano in F Major
W. H. Squire, several small pieces

Chamber music

Duo

M. Ravel, Duo for Violin and Cello (Op. 7)
Handel Halvorsen, Passacaglia, Duo for Violin and Cello

Trio

A. Borodin, String trio in G minor
E. Grieg, Piano trio in C minor 'Andante Con Moto'
F. Mendelssohn, Piano trio in D minor (Opus 49)
W. A. Mozart, Piano trio in B flat Major (K.502)
A. Piazzolla, The four seasons arranged for Piano trio
S. Rachmaninov, Piano trio no 1 in G minor 'Trio Elegiaque'
M. Ravel, Piano trio in A minor
D. Shostakovich, Piano trio no 1 in C Major (Op. 8)

Quartet

L. van Beethoven, String Quartet in C minor (Op. 18)
J. Brahms, Piano Quartet in G minor (Op. 25)
E. Grieg, String Quartet in G minor (Op. 27)
G. Mahler, Piano Quartet in A minor

Quintet

J. Brahms, Piano Quintet in F minor (Op. 34)
A. Dvorak, Piano Quintet in A Major (Op. 81)
C. Franck, Piano Quintet in F minor (Op. 4)
M. Gaathaug, Piano Quintet
F. Schubert, String Quintet in C Major (Op. 163)
R. Schumann, Piano Quintet in E flat Major (Op. 44)

Sextet

A. Schönberg, String Sextet "Verklärte Nacht" (Op. 4)
P. Tchaikovsky, String Sextet in D minor 'Souvenir de Florence' (Op. 70)

Octet

F. Mendelssohn, String Octet in E flat Major (Op. 20)
J. Svendsen, String Octet in A Major (Op. 3)

Cello ensemble

J. Klengel, 'Hymne' for 12 Cellos (Op. 57)
A. Piazzolla, several pieces for cello ensemble
Villa-Lobos, several pieces for cello ensemble

With orchestra

L. van Beethoven, Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano (Op. 56)
I. Davidoff, Cello Concerto no. 1, 1st movement
A. Dvorak, Cello Concerto in B minor (Op. 104)
E. Elgar, Cello Concerto in E minor (Op. 65)
G. Goltermann, Cello Concerto no 4 (Op. 65)
J. Haydn, Cello Concerto in C Major
J. Haydn, Cello Concerto in D Major, 1st and 2nd movement (Op. 101)
E. Lalo, Cello Concerto in D minor, 1st movement
D. Popper, Requiem for 3 cellos (Op. 66)
C. Saint-Saens, Cello Concerto in A minor (Op. 33)
D. Shostakovich, Cello Concerto no. 1 in E flat Major, 1st movement (Op. 107)
R. Schumann, Cello Concerto in A minor (Op. 129), 1st and 2nd movements
P. Tchaikovsky, Rococco Variations (Op. 33)
A. Vivaldi, Cello Concerto in A minor

If you are interested in working with Sandra, please get in touch with the EMCY Office.