Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikki Sodergren
Mikki, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story and how it intertwines with American Traditions Vocal Collection needs to be told in two parts – the story of ATC and how I came to be involved.
The American Traditions Vocal Collection began as the American Traditions Competition (ATC), a special event that was part of Savannah Onstage way back in 1993. Savannah Onstage was the precursor to Savannah Music Festival, and the competition was meant to set it apart from other music festivals. The competition was extremely popular, acting as a vehicle to celebrate Black American Music by Black women initially. It grew and changed through time as different leadership voices oversaw changes at the music festival, and eventually was a vehicle for celebrating all classic styles of American music by vocalists of all backgrounds. By 2010, the competition had grown, and the Savannah Music Festival had grown, and the two organizations decided to separate, leading ATC to become its own, independent nonprofit organization. The mission of our organization is to promote, preserve and celebrate all classic styles of American music. We continue to hold an annual vocal competition that has continued on since the early 1990’s, and that is a major focus of our mission-driven programming, but we also offer concerts that highlight different styles of classic American music, offering concerts celebrating Jazz, the music of Broadway, Spiritual recitals, and more. Additionally, we work with students through classroom outreach, through special programs in partnership with other nonprofits, like the Savannah Children’s Theatre, and even have a junior version of our signature voice competition aimed at teenagers, which draws talent from Savannah, but also regionally – extending to Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida.
I first became involved with the ATC when I competed in 2013. I took second place in the competition, and returned the following year, in 2014, to compete yet again and this time won the coveted Gold Medal, signifying first place. I was invited back as a Gold Medal ambassador in 2015 – someone who can offer support, advice and assistance to other contestants. In 2016, the Artistic Director’s assistant was unable to attend the competition week, so I was asked to step in, and I did. That year, I began working as the social media manager for the organization, and grew the following and competitor pool by 35%. When the Artistic Director position became available in early 2017, I applied, and to my delight, was hired by the Board. I served as Artistic Director until 2021, when the Board voted to create the role of Executive Director, and asked me to also step into this role. I have been serving in both roles ever since, and the organization continues to grow and improve year after year, and we have carried on our mission faithfully – celebrating classic styles of American music with every performance.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the challenges we have faced as a growing nonprofit have been related to location. When we were a part of Savannah Music Festival, our events were located in downtown Savannah. When we became an independent organization in 2010, our location shifted to Skidaway Island, as that was where our early Board of Directors was mostly located. While there was ample space for our artists and our annual competition, we were separated from our former audience, and had to largely start over on building our brand, and letting people know who we were. In 2022, we moved to a venue downtown, effectively having to rebuild a large portion of our audience again, though it has been an easier transition this time. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, we faced major issues in that our competition requires a large group of people to gather, and we could not make that happen due to rampant illness in the world, so we produced our competition totally virtually. It ended up being a success, but it was a very difficult undertaking that also challenged our organization in unique ways. Thankfully for all of us – that time in our world’s history seems to be over!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In addition to my work at American Traditions Vocal Collection, I am a professional singer. I mentioned that I competed in 2013 and 2014, and I have continued a successful career on my own outside of my ATC connections. I am a trained operatic singer, but love popular styles of music – Jazz, Great American Songbook, theatre songs and straight=up pop music. I also love Country songs. I was raised on a healthy mix of Trisha Yearwood, Gloria Estefan, Aaliyah and the Spice Girls so my taste has always been quite eclectic. I have had some great opportunities in my career, touring in Europe and South America with elite ensembles, making Grammy-nominated and Grammy-winning recordings, singing as a soloist at Carnegie Hall; I’ve been able to help create new musicals being financed by Disney, the National Theatre of Great Britain, NYU, and more; and I’ve even had a successful career as a concert soloist, performing with symphonies around the country. In 2022, I joined the Full Time Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera in New York – a position that is highly coveted, with sometimes 450 artists applying for one position in the ensemble. The Metropolitan Opera now takes up most of my performance time, though I do still sing as a soloist when I’m able to carve out some time!
With all of that said, I still feel the most proud that I have helped artists from the ATC make debuts with symphonies across the country, as our reputation grows. We have helped place ATC artists in over 35 contracts in the past 5 years, and I feel so grateful to be in an opportunity to help make those connections happen.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to stay open-minded. It’s easy to decide what you want your life or your career to look like, but like the commercial: ‘There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.’ There are so many ways to have an active career as an artist, and very few artists have what would look like a linear path on paper. Staying open-minded and flexible has allowed me to have so many wonderful experiences that I might not have had if I had approached the arts and music with a clear path that I wasn’t willing to deviate from.
Pricing:
- We have an upcoming event (our last for the season) on Sunday May 18 at 3pm. The event is our Spring Spiritual Recital, called The Great Camp Meeting Spiritual Recital. Kisma Jordan, a wonderful Soprano from Detroit will be performing, and it will take place at First Presbyterian Church on 520 Washington Avenue.
- Adult tickets $25, Student Tickets $10
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atcsavannah.org
- Instagram: @atc_savannah
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ATCSavannah/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ATCSavannah
