CAROL SUE ANDERSON

Assistant Professor (Lecturer)

School of Music

  • Assistant Professor (Lecturer)
    School of Music

BIO

Renowned for her work as a master teacher and clinician, Dr. Anderson has led master classes across the country—both in person and virtually—and has served as a featured panelist for Opera America, contributing to national conversations on audition preparation and institutional best practices. Her passion for audience engagement is evident in her ongoing roles as the presenter of Utah Opera’s acclaimed Prelude talks and as a lecturer for The Santa Fe Opera’s Prelude Dinners. 

Prior to her tenure with Utah Opera, Dr. Anderson served as Chorus Master and Music Administrator at Orlando Opera, where she also conducted performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors. She has held music staff positions with leading institutions including Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, Sarasota Opera, Brevard Music Center, Nashville Opera, and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. In addition, she completed two seasons as an apprentice coach with both the Houston Grand Opera Studio and the Aspen Opera Theater Center. 

An active performer and advocate for underrepresented composers, Dr. Anderson recently collaborated with mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner in Silenced Voices: Music by Female Composers of the Holocaust, performed at the American Gothic Festival and for the Wagner Society of Santa Fe. 

Originally from Houston, Texas, Dr. Anderson holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from the University of Southern California, Master of Music in Accompanying and Chamber Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Bachelor of Music in Church Music, Piano Emphasis, from Baylor University. 

INSTITUTIONAL APPOINTMENTS

  • Assistant Professor (Lecturer)
    School of Music1 Jul 2025 - present

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Principal Coach
    Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Opera Artistic, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesSep 2003 - May 2025
  • Music Staff
    The Santa Fe Opera, Production (Seasonal), Santa Fe, NM, United StatesJun 2002 - present

DEGREES

  • DMA
    University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United StatesAug 1991 - Dec 2004
  • MM
    University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesSep 1987 - Dec 1989
  • BM
    Baylor University, Waco, TX, United StatesAug 1983 - May 1987