Dr. Sandra Peter is a singer, conductor and composer based in central Florida, enjoying “the next chapter” of life and work, having retired from full-time teaching in 2024. She was most recently a professor in the Stetson University School of Music (DeLand, FL), and has served as a guest conductor for Magnum Chorum (Minneapolis, MN), Interim Director of Choirs at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Visiting Professor of Music at Macalester College. From 1991-2013, Dr. Peter taught at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and was a part of a team that saw extraordinary growth to Luther’s music program. Her ensembles at Luther, Aurora (treble voices) and Cathedral Choir (mixed voices) toured annually, released recordings, commissioned pieces, and performed at conferences. For over twenty years Dr. Peter served on the artistic committee for Christmas at Luther, an Emmy Award-winning event that is televised annually nationwide. She has led All-State and honor choirs in twenty U. S. states, as well as abroad in Singapore and Oman. Her conducting debut in Carnegie Hall was in 2003.
A skilled choral arranger and composer, Dr. Peter’s works have been published by MorningStar Music, Carl Fischer Music, and the Neil Kjos Company. Her most recent commission is “There is room, there is love,” written for The Concordia Choir (Moorhead, MN), forthcoming publication by E. C. Schirmer. She is also a contributor to the book Conducting Women’s Choirs: Strategies for Success (GIA Publications). Her course, “Toward Representation: Choral Music by Women,” is available through Forward Motion, the online learning center from Manhattan Concert Productions.
An active church musician, Dr. Peter’s most recent position in that realm was Director of Traditional Music at Morrison United Methodist Church (Leesburg, FL), where she served as primary organist and conducted two choirs. Previously in Florida she served as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church in DeLand. During the years at Luther, she conducted choirs (adult, youth and children’s) at First Lutheran Church in Decorah.
Dr. Peter is an active member of ASCAP, American Choral Directors Association and Chorus America, and a charter member of The National Collegiate Choral Organization. She is proud to be the founding soprano section leader of both the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus, launched in 2021, and the National Lutheran Choir, established in 1986. A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Dr. Peter holds degrees from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN), University of Arizona and the University of Iowa.
Present endeavors are initiatives of Peter Creative LLC, a company dedicated to developing and providing artistic, educational experiences, whether it be through music or travel or a combination of the two! Peter Creative LLC was founded in 2023 by Sandra Peter & Timothy Peter, and embraces the core values of excellence, inclusion, community, authenticity, and joy. The publishing division of the company, Sandra Peter Creative, was established in 2026.
Sandra Peter Creative 