Claudia Sandoval

Claudia was brought up bilingually and biculturally by Colombian parents in Bay Shore, New York. There, she benefitted from the opportunity to engage in public school music programs and began playing the violin at the age of eight. She was drawn to creating music and sounds beyond the sheet music of her school’s orchestra and reveled in the transcription of her favorite Rock en Español songs.

Attracted to the cultural mecca that is New York City, Claudia attended Columbia University for her undergraduate degree. Claudia also holds a master’s degree in public policy and international development from American University. An avid participant in study abroad programs during her schooling, she studied abroad in Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and France. She is fluent in English and Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese.

After living abroad for six years Claudia relocated to San Francisco in 2017 to continue working with donors and philanthropy. In San Francisco she met her husband, also a musician. In 2021 they moved to his hometown of Santa Barbara and welcomed a baby boy in 2022. Claudia is thrilled to join the Music Academy family and set roots in the city she now thinks of as home. She looks forward to getting to know the members of the Vivace Donor Society and working with them to honor the love and appreciation they have for this esteemed Santa Barbara institution.