Instrument/Department: Voice (soprano); also Yoga Instructor (E-RYT200, RYT 500, YACEP)
Joined Hochstein Faculty in: 2000
Dr. Sandra Boysen Sluberski has performed leading roles in U.S. opera houses, sung Tagalog folk songs and Broadway hits throughout the Philippines, jammed with jazz musicians, and entertained in Manhattan’s famed Don’t Tell Mama cabaret, among other venues. She has more than 70 oratorio/concert and musical theatre/operatic roles to her credit and appears regularly in both live and broadcast performances.
She has sung operatic lead roles with Palm Beach Opera, Pensacola Opera, South Georgia Opera, Florida State Opera, and Opera Rochester. She has performed concerts as a soloist with the Rochester Oratorio Society, Eastman Philharmonia, Rochester Bach Festival, Cornell University, and Ithaca College.
Sandra holds the M.M. and D.M. degrees in Voice Performance from Florida State University’s College of Music, and has been on the voice faculty at the Hochstein School of Music & Dance in Rochester, NY, since 2000. In 2013, she was honored with the Hochstein Faculty Service Award. In 2019, she was awarded a Faculty Excellence Grant, which she used to pursue her advanced yoga teacher training.
She formerly served on the voice faculty at Nazareth College and was artist-in-residence at Emporia State University’s School of Music in Kansas.
Sandra provides voice-over talent for commercial venues through SBS Vocalworx and West Rush Media LLC, and coaches students in vocal presentation and audition preparation.
Sandra is a Registered Yoga Teacher and Continuing Education Provider (E-RYT 200, RYT500, YACEP) through Yoga Alliance. She completed her 200- and 300-hour teaching training under the guidance of Steph Mitchell, master teacher with the Yoga & Ayurveda Center in East Stroudsburg, PA; the YAC hired her in 2021 to write, record and upload online yoga workshops and classes. She is certified to teach Hatha Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Chair Yoga. She also holds the certificate of Ayurveda Specialist through the Yoga & Ayurveda Center. In addition, Sandra teaches and leads sessions in Kirtan (call-and-response singing of mantras in Sanskrit & English), utilizing a harmonium and Tibetan singing bowls.
Sandra periodically offers two-hour yoga workshops through Hochstein, which are based on specific themes, from yoga mythology to chanting in Sanskrit. She is the author of the book “Taking Myths to the Mat,” available in paperback and as an eBook on Amazon. This is the companion book to an online course of the same title offered through the Online Yoga School/Yoga & Ayurveda Center.
She is married to Dave Sluberski, senior lecturer for audio/sound recording at the School of Film & Animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology and recording engineer for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. www.sboysen.com.
More About Sandra Boysen Sluberski
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
What inspires me: People who look above and beyond themselves to higher aspirations of character
Why the arts matter: They speak to our bodies, minds, and souls in subtle yet powerful languages
Favorite things to do in Rochester area: Walk downtown during the Jazz Festival in the summer; visit local wineries; go to Gardenscape each year in March
When I’m not at Hochstein, you can find me: Hanging out with my pet chickens or in the garage, repairing automotive engines with Dave.
My favorite local restaurant: Panzari’s in Corn Hill
Favorite places to travel: California, Canada, London (U.K.), the Philippines
Favorite music to listen to while driving: Acoustic Alchemy, The Rippingtons, Spyro Gyra
What people would be surprised to know about me: I love the dual ziplining and taking on the aerial adventure courses through the treetops at Peek'n Peak down in the Southern Tier!