Sandra Calderón began her professional singing career at the tender age of ten. Some of her first Mozart recitals took place in Europe and the USA; including venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland; Carnegie Hall in New York; Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland as well as the Philharmonie in Cologne, Germany.

 

At age twelve, Sandra was awarded the prestigious Youth Advancement Award for outstanding achievement as a young artist. The young singer received this award from former german Prime Minister, Dr. Kurt Biedenkopf in Dresden, Germany. While in Dresden, Sandra was invited to sing at the Semper Opera as part of a gala concert conducted by Maestro Michael Boder.

 

Among the various albums Sandra has recorded in her youth, is an album of Mozart concert arias with violinist Boris Belkin, and the Salzburg Chamber Orchestra. A live recording of her Carnegie Hall Mozart Recital in 1990 marked the beginning of her career in the USA. After this meaningful debut, she was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, as well as in Boettcher Hall in Denver, where she debuted a song-cycle that was written for her by the very gifted young composer, Dalit Warshaw.

 

In 2000 Sandra was invited to sing the soprano solo in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony at the Musikverein, with the Tonkuenstler Orchestra under Maestro Fabio Luisi. Performances also followed in Italy: in Rome at the Accademia Santa Cecilia she sang the coquette role of Adele in Die Fledermaus. In Torino, she debuted the role of Woglinde in Wagner’s Die Götterdämmerung, with the Orchestra della Rai and conductor, Eliahu Inbal. During this time, the young singer was also part of the distinguished concert “Great Stars of Opera”, a televised open-air event. This star-studded concert was released on DVD shortly after.

 

Sandra switched Fach in 2007 and began to build her new repertoire as a lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano.

 

In 2008, the freshly baked mezzo sang the part of Mercedes in a production of Carmen in New York City, covering the title role. That summer she was the under study of Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Belcanto at Caramoor Festival in Katonah, New York. In fall of the same year, at Merkin Concert Hall in New York, Sandra ventured into singing two principal roles in En Saga, a Japanese contemporary opera by Hirokazu Sugano.

 

Another of her recordings is The Diary of Anne Frank, a contemporary one-person opera by Grigori Frid, released by Profil Medien in 2004. Sandra created this role and performed it many times in Austria and Germany with the Emsland Ensemble under the baton of Hans Erik Deckert.

 

To commemorate Anne Frank’s 80th birthday, several performances of this piece took place in Germany in June 2009. Sandra and her ensemble earned great accolades in the national press for their riveting performances. The "musical diary" was also performed at schools throughout Germany as part of history class. This project is still followed with great passion by Sandra and her ensemble.

 

In 2010, to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, Sandra introduced “The Diary” to New York audiences at the Jewish Community Center. That same year, Marina Alexander, director of the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra, engaged Sandra as mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, as well as in Bach’s Missa Brevis (BWV 234).

 

May 2011 Sandra was invited as guest juror at the International Children’s Choir Festival in Halle, Germany.

 

In October 2011, and commemorating the composer’s death, Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde was performed in New York with Sandra as mezzo soloist and the Chamber Philharmonia of New York City, under the baton of Tali Makell.

 

Her very successful debut in the role of Jane Seymour in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena took place in Houston, Texas, with Maestro Enrique Carreon-Robledo conducting. The mezzo-soprano earned multiple rave reviews in the local press for her indepth portrayal of Anna Bolena’s rival.

 

Always in search of hidden gems, the multi-facetted mezzo soprano performed Heitor Villa-Lobos’ intriguing song-cycle “Serestas” at the Liederkranz Foundation in New York in the fall of 2012.

 

In February 2013 Sandra was invited as star guest to perform at the Radiokulturhaus Vienna in a concert honoring composer, Walter Jurmann. In the following summer, Sandra debuted the role of Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the open-air Festival Cesky-Krumlov, Czech Republic.

 

In February 2014 she gave her European debut as Carmen under the baton of Mario de Rose. Her “blonde” and very different rendition of Carmen earned her standing ovations!

 

In July 2014 Sandra sang the role of Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana at Maryland Lyric Opera.