Meet Sayra Siverson | Music Director and Conductor of the San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sayra Siverson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sayra, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success is my students! I specialize in building community through music. My goal isn’t to create professional musicains, it is to help students discover what amazing humans they are! I had no idea how much each one of my students over the past 24 years would teach me. I have learned that they are funny. I learned that sometimes when I could get angry at them for disrupting rehearsal by being silly, that it really is good to just laugh with them and see the humor in it. They have made me laugh a lot. 🙂

I have learned that getting upset rarely motivates. I have learned that having high expectations and clear goals, supported by lots of love and encouragement, helps one rise to the occasion. I have learned that music can heal a hurting heart. I have learned that playing with passion is more important than just playing the right notes and rhythms. I have also learned that kindness is the most effective teaching tool, and that the presence of music in every students’ life is there to uplift, inspire and create family. I have learned that youth orchestra is my family.

I have relished the rehearsal challenges of motivating the unmotivated and keeping the most advanced from becoming bored. I have loved the quirky and unexpected comments students say. I have savored the conversations through text or on the phone, before rehearsal, or during break. I have embraced the constant learning and growing. Hundreds of rehearsal plans later, I am grateful for the chance to have had important work to do each day for my students. They are amazing young men and women that will build our world for the better, and who have shaped my heart for good. They are amazing!

I would hope my students remember that while they may be here for playing music, it is the people who matter the most. Youth Orchestra isn’t about the conductors or the staff. It is about the musicians, and to them, I say: thank you for your passion. Thank you for your humor. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for the amazing music. And, most importantly, thank you for being a special part of my life by just being you.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an orchestra conductor and non-profit director. I spent the bulk of my career (1998-2020) in New Mexico with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program and was the first woman to conduct the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program’s flagship ensemble. I also served as the AYSP’s first female Music Director in the program’s 67-year history. After relocating to Durango, Colorado, in 2019, I became the Music Director of the San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestras and am working to grow the music education community in the Four Corners area.

As a young professional, I was planning on making a living as a professional orchestral musician, but with encouragement from a college professor, pursued conducting as a career. Being a female conductor in the 1990s and early 2000s was a challenge, as some didn’t take me seriously, however, working on perfecting my craft and focusing on being my best pushed me through. Music has taken me all over the world and introduced me to many amazing people. I have conducted in North America, South America, Europe and Australia, and am thankful to have shared so many wonderful experiences with my students.

As a music educator, I actively promote the education and performance of new music by partnering wtih living composers on commissions and performances of new works. I am also an advocate of volunteering and collaborating with local organizations. Recently, Augustana University (SD) honored me with the Horizon Award which recognizes alumni who have demonstrated outstanding vocational achievement and provided faithful service to their community.

Along with my husband, Marc Salter, I own New Harmony Music, as company that makes custom accessories for orchestral string instruments with diverse customers like Cirque do Soliel, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Avett Brothers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends come to visit Durango, we take them up the Million Dollar Highway for some Jeeping on the Alpine Loop outside of Silverton, Colorado; or for a quick trip up La Plata Canyon just outside town. If they haven’t ridden the train, the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gague Railroad is another fantastic option. The experience is like none other! After a full day of adventuring in the mountains, we return to Durango and enjoy a meal at Steamworks Brewing Company, followed by ice cream at Cream Bean Berry, and some shopping in historic downtown Durango on Main Street.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Thank you to: My mom and dad, Mary Ann and Glenn Siverson, South Dakota music educators extraordinaire (both deceased)
Dr. Harold E. Krueger, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD (deceased)
Dr. James R. Johnson, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD (retired)
Mrs. Marie Robertson, Robertson & Sons Violins, Albuquerque, NM
Dr. Eric Rombach-Kendall, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Website: https://www.sayrasiverson.com/

Instagram: @sayrasiverson or @sjsyo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssiverson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayra.s/

Image Credits
Photo by Howard George Photography