About Sarah Cole:
My mission is to instill the joy of music in every lesson, for every student, while holding all students to the highest level of playing they are capable of.
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Baldwin Wallace Conservatory (B.M)
Violin Performance
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University of Louisville (M.M)
Violin Performance & String Pedagogy
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Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (M.A)
Violin Performance &Pedagogy
Sarah's primary violin professors were:
David Updegraff (Cleveland Institute of Music)
André Swanepoel (Irish Chamber Orchestra)
Annie Fullard (Cavani String Quartet)
Patrick Raferty (University of Louisville)
Jullian Ross (Baldwin Wallace Conservatory)
Several semesters / years were spent studying violin with:
Rachel Podger and Hal Grossman
I'm originally from Nashville Tennessee and started playing violin when I was five years old.
My family enrolled me in private lessons and I still remember having that first vividly fun lesson learning Twinkle Twinkle. Subsequently, violin has became an integral part of my life!
I was homeschooled K-12th and playing violin was a large part of my community building and social network as a young person.
I played in the Nashville Youth Orchestras for a decade and spent six summers at the orchestra & chamber music camp, Sewanee Summer Music Festival making lifelong friends and playing lots of music together.
When I'm not teaching lessons, I'm probably snuggling my two Chihuahuas, Ira and Riki, hiking around WNY with my husband, Alec or watering my many houseplants :)
After I finished my second Master's degree (Violin Performance and Pedagogy) and got married, I moved to Buffalo, NY in 2020 and started teaching out of my studio shortly after.
In September 2024, I decided to pour all my energy and time into my Violin Studio and it's been my full time job ever since!
During the 8 years that Sarah spent in music conservatory, she performed in public masterclasses for notable violinists such as:
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Simon Fischer
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Itzhak Rashkovsky
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Daniel Phillips
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Rachel Podger
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Simon Rowland Jones
While in her second master's degree at the University of Louisville, Sarah held dual Teaching Assistantships in the graduate string quartet and Early Music. Sarah was concertmaster (lead violinist) of the orchestra, taught undergraduate violin lessons, coached chamber groups, lead multiple workshops, taught regular string sectionals and technique classes to undergraduates. The graduate string quartet won first place in the 2018 Macauley Chamber Music Competition.
In her first masters degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music, Sarah was principal of the Royal Welsh String Soloists ensemble. Concertmaster of the Opera orchestra and toured the UK performing with her chamber ensemble. As a member of the String Soloists, Sarah performed for HRH King Charles at Buckingham Palace! Sarah was interested in Early Music and studied bass viol da gamba privately with Lucy Robinson and baroque violin from esteemed UK violinist Rachel Podger.
In undergrad at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Sarah began teaching violin privately under guidance of a pedagogy professor and fell in love with teaching. Sarah performed regularly in the Bach orchestra and played in masterclasses for Cleveland Orchestra musicians.
In recent years, Sarah participated in annual workshops and pedagogy training with Mimi Zweig and Elizabeth Faidley.