“Erika Svanoe is one of the finest conductors I know at the college level. She is a terrific technician and educator on the podium, but what truly sets her apart is a unique combination of love of music and love of her students.” |
“Erika Svanoe is a terrific musician and a gifted conductor. She is also a great teacher, who will engage your students and give them fresh and vital perspectives on the music they are performing.” |
Biographical Statement
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Dr. Erika Svanoe is a conductor, composer, educator, and wind band specialist in the greater Twin Cities area. Originally from Whitewater, Wisconsin, her previous roles include Director of Bands at Bemidji State University, co-director of the Bemidji Area Community Band, Director of Athletic Bands at the University of New Hampshire, and Director of Bands at Mukwanago (WI) High School. In 2007, she was a featured civilian guest conductor with the USAF Heritage of America Band. An active supporter of new and innovative music, she has commissioned and premiered works by Andrew Boysen, Asako Hirabayashi, and Matt Saunders. As a performer and ensemble director, she has worked with artists such as Joe Burgstaller, Douglas Monroe, and Kevin Daley.
She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from The Ohio State University, where she served as conductor of the OSU Collegiate Winds, assistant conductor of the OSU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, and taught undergraduate conducting classes. She also holds an MM in Wind Conducting from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Her principal conducting teachers include Russel Mikkelson, Joseph Missal, Hilary Apfelstadt, and Marshall Haddock. She has had further study with H. Robert Reynolds, Craig Kirchoff, Allan McMurray and Michael Haithcock. |
In addition to conducting and ensemble direction, she has served as an instructor of clarinet, bassoon, orchestration, music appreciation, wind literature, music theory, and music education at the college level. She has been an active adjudicator and clinician in New England and the Great Lakes region since 2003.
Dr. Svanoe's research on Aaron Copland has been published in the WASBE Journal and presented at the CBDNA national conference. She served as the Collegiate Coordinator for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association, and is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the College Music Society, and the National Association for Music Education. She is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, and a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society. Her instrumental performance credits include clarinet and bass clarinet with the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, saxophone with the Bemidji Big Band, and EWI with the MIDiots contemporary electronic music ensemble, of which she was a founding member. Her principal clarinet teachers include James Pyne, Babette Belter, and Richard Fletcher. She is also the creator of Marrying Mr. Darcy, the Pride & Prejudice card game. She currently lives near Minneapolis with her husband, designer and graphic novelist Erik Evensen. |
