Dorothy Vogel has played keyboard with the Traverse City Philharmonic (formerly Traverse Symphony Orchestra) for over 20 years. In the 2024-25 season she was a featured soloist in Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Along with classical and pops concerts, she also participates in the educational series Masterworks in Miniature, which integrates storytelling and music for elementary school children.
She frequently performs chamber music with her orchestral colleagues. Other recent collaborative activities have included serving as principal pianist for the Baroque on Beaver festival orchestra on Beaver Island, accompanying the Grand Traverse Chorale and the Northwestern Michigan College Chamber Singers, and performing in the pit orchestra for numerous musical theater productions at the Leland Public Schools, Glen Lake Public Schools, and the Old Townhouse Playhouse.
Vogel is on the faculty at Northwestern Michigan College, where she has taught courses in class piano, applied piano, music theory, sight singing and ear training, and music appreciation. Previously, she taught at Hope College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and on the summer piano faculty at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
A nationally certified teacher, she also maintained a large private piano studio for many years and was an active adjudicator, presenter, and state and local board member of the Michigan Music Teachers Association. Vogel holds a B.M. in piano performance from Oberlin Conservatory, an M.M. in piano performance from Western Michigan University, and a D.M.A. in music education from Boston University. Her research articles on the history of music education have been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, and American Music Teacher.
When taking a break from performing and teaching, she enjoys reading fiction and traveling with her husband Scott Sorenson, a former member of the TC Phil trumpet section and program annotator.