Sarah Wagner’s interest in bringing theatricality to classical music has led her to perform in a diverse array of locations ranging from the Palace of Auburn Hills with Detroit-based rapper Eminem to underneath motorway bridges in Glasgow to the throne room of Buckingham Palace. Her ongoing performance piece Under the Bridge is a collaboration with After the Pandemic and combines Vivaldi’s iconic The Four Seasons with original street art beneath the Kingston Bridge. The filmed performance of “Summer” was featured in the Scotsman, the Sunday Post, and on BBC Radio Scotland. Under the Bridge culminated in a live performance of The Four Seasons at Glasgow Cathedral during the United Nations COP26 conference in Glasgow.

Sarah works primarily in the theatre, having performed across the United States, Scotland, Germany, and Italy in over 50 different productions ranging from classical opera to contemporary musical theatre. In addition, her work as a recitalist focuses on the narrative aspects of instrumental music and uses classical music to tell contemporary stories. As a teacher, Sarah has a range of experience working with students of all ages in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings. She believes in a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to music education by combining technical pedagogy with a diverse repertoire of classical, pops, and traditional music.

Sarah received her Bachelor’s of Music (high honours) in violin performance and educational studies under the tutelage of Wen Lei-Gu from Lawrence University and her Master’s of Music and Advanced Postgraduate Diploma while studying with Andrea Gajic at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Music Qualifications & Achievements:

My teaching expertise is varied and comprehensive encompassing both academic work and practical experience. During my undergraduate studies at Lawrence University, I studied music education on both instrumental and general music tracks. This dual path ensured I studied string-specific pedagogical methods such as Suzuki, Galamian, and Flesch as well those designed for use in general music classrooms such as Kodaly, Dalcroze, and Orff.

Having a well-rounded understanding of these different pedagogical methods enabled me to adapt my teaching to a variety of different settings ranging from the Appleton String Project after-school program to the summer I spent volunteering as a violin tutor in Haiti. Upon graduating, I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where I began teaching privately and worked with students ranging from ages 4 through 18.

One of the greatest benefits of individual music instruction is the ability to tailor your teaching to each student’s unique needs and interests. I believe it is this passion for meeting every student where they are, and then guiding them to take the next step, that enabled me to increase the size of my private studio from 5 to 25 students.