Meet the Orchestra

Mary Sorlie

Violin

Mary Sorlie is a performer and teacher in the Twin Cities. She is a frequent guest conductor and string clinician in the Midwest, and she is currently on the conducting staff of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, where she conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra. Her passion is working with young musicians. Mary taught violin and coached chamber music at the college for nearly 20 years.

Mary received Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees in violin performance from the University of Minnesota. She has also studied at the Cincinnati (OH) College Conservatory of Music and at the Oberlin (OH) and Brussels (Belgium) Conservatories. Her violin teachers have included Mary West, Lea Foli, Stephen Clapp and Marilyn McDonald.

Widely active as a freelance violinist, Mary has played with the Lexington Symphony, Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis Chamber Symphony, the Lyra Baroque Orchestra, and Minnesota Sinfonia. She is a founding member of The WolfGang, a classical sextet that performs music primarily of Mozart. She was also founder and director of the Northwestern College Chamber Orchestra.

An avid runner, Mary has finished over 35 marathons and enjoys running the scenic river and lake trails the Twin Cities has to offer. She resides in St. Paul with her husband Chuck, and wonder dog and running partner Lacie.