Steven “Thor” Sigurdson

Steven Sigurdson received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School as one of the final students of the great Leonard Rose. He also pursued conducting at Juilliard as a student of Ronald Braunstein, and as a frequent auditor of the conducting classes of Jorge Mester and Otto Werner Muller. Upon graduation, he was among the first cellists selected by Michael Tilson Thomas to perform in Miami’s celebrated New World Symphony, an ensemble with which he performed and toured internationally for three seasons. He was subsequently hired as Associate Principal Cellist of the Florida Philharmonic, a post he held for 13 years, finishing his tenure as Principal Cellist. Over his 25-year orchestral career, he performed under dozens of legendary maestros, including Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti, and Seiji Ozawa. As a soloist and chamber musician, he was a finalist in both the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition and the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition.

After relocating his family to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his wife is earning a PhD in Anthropology, Sigurdson is excited to finally be pursuing his solo career in earnest. His debut recording of favorite cello solos along with Chicago-based harpist Nichole Young, entitled After a Dream, is now available. In between concerts and recitals, he remains committed to training and inspiring musicians of all ages throughout the greater Detroit area.