About Sarah
Sarah's piano studies began at a very early age--and haven't stopped! She continues discovering new forms of music and presenting fresh, unique repertoire for students and audiences. Though trained in standard European piano repertoire and techniques, she felt an affinity for lesser known syncopated forms of music from early on which led her to ragtime and Latin American piano music.
At the age of eight she heard a recording of Joshua Rifkin playing Scott Joplin rags and began playing and composing ragtime. Soon after, she won a national ragtime composition contest and traveled to the International Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri where her composition was presented by ragtime scholar, Virginia Tichenor. Following this, Sarah was an invited performer at ragtime festivals across the country including the West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, CA and the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival in Boulder, CO from the age of 8 to 21. Sarah was introduced to contemporary composer giants Frank French, Scott Kirby and David Thomas Roberts who were pioneering a new type of piano music termed "Terra Verde" with a fusion of elements of Latin American and Ragtime styles. She is fortunate to count these three contemporary musicians as mentors, teachers and friends who have greatly influenced her musical career.
Sarah studied piano under professor Rebecca Jeffers at Oregon State University for five years, from 2002-2007. She served as an accompanist to numerous vocal and instrumental musicians in the music department during that time. She studied piano pedagogy for 2 years with both professors Rachelle McCabe and Rebecca Jeffers. She also completed upper level courses in music theory, aural skills and music history.
Soon after graduating from Oregon State University, Sarah and her husband (a native of Colombia, South America) visited her in-laws in Colombia and Sarah discovered a wealth of traditional music written for piano archived at the National Library in Bogota. She discovered the works of composers Luis Calvo, Pedro Morales Pino, Emilio Murillo and many others. Thus began her current Colombian Music project. She recorded a debut CD titled, "Rumichaca" in 2007. She has also been involved in the creation of a non-profit California Corporation "Pan American Music Festival" with Frank French to bring life to the music she found and educate about it in concert-type settings.
Sarah has been teaching piano lessons in Davis, CA for the past four years and taught for one year in Corvallis, OR. She "has a blast" with students and delights in finding music that inspires each individual. She is a member of the Davis Music Teacher's Association and the National Piano Teacher's Guild organization. She is currently residing in Barcelona, Spain where she is teaching and studying music and culture.
At the age of eight she heard a recording of Joshua Rifkin playing Scott Joplin rags and began playing and composing ragtime. Soon after, she won a national ragtime composition contest and traveled to the International Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri where her composition was presented by ragtime scholar, Virginia Tichenor. Following this, Sarah was an invited performer at ragtime festivals across the country including the West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, CA and the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival in Boulder, CO from the age of 8 to 21. Sarah was introduced to contemporary composer giants Frank French, Scott Kirby and David Thomas Roberts who were pioneering a new type of piano music termed "Terra Verde" with a fusion of elements of Latin American and Ragtime styles. She is fortunate to count these three contemporary musicians as mentors, teachers and friends who have greatly influenced her musical career.
Sarah studied piano under professor Rebecca Jeffers at Oregon State University for five years, from 2002-2007. She served as an accompanist to numerous vocal and instrumental musicians in the music department during that time. She studied piano pedagogy for 2 years with both professors Rachelle McCabe and Rebecca Jeffers. She also completed upper level courses in music theory, aural skills and music history.
Soon after graduating from Oregon State University, Sarah and her husband (a native of Colombia, South America) visited her in-laws in Colombia and Sarah discovered a wealth of traditional music written for piano archived at the National Library in Bogota. She discovered the works of composers Luis Calvo, Pedro Morales Pino, Emilio Murillo and many others. Thus began her current Colombian Music project. She recorded a debut CD titled, "Rumichaca" in 2007. She has also been involved in the creation of a non-profit California Corporation "Pan American Music Festival" with Frank French to bring life to the music she found and educate about it in concert-type settings.
Sarah has been teaching piano lessons in Davis, CA for the past four years and taught for one year in Corvallis, OR. She "has a blast" with students and delights in finding music that inspires each individual. She is a member of the Davis Music Teacher's Association and the National Piano Teacher's Guild organization. She is currently residing in Barcelona, Spain where she is teaching and studying music and culture.
