Sarah O.

Cello

Genres: All

Teaches in English

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Sarah Overton is an educator, performing artist, and arts administrative professional who prioritizes
creating socially relevant and accessible artistic opportunities and experiences for audiences of all ages.
Sarah has been studying the cello for more than 20 years, and was inspired to begin her journey as a
teaching artist by the encouraging, thoughtful musicians who stimulated her along the way. Sarah has
since taught and performed in homes and on stages in the U.S. and internationally in London, U.K.
Wales, U.K. and Paris, France.

After completing her M.A. at New York University, Sarah now resides permanently in Brooklyn, NY. Sarah
was most recently the Music Supervisor for the “Superstrings'' segment of the internationally recognized
production of Limitless AI for its Fall season of performances at Arts/District Brooklyn where she crafted a
unique blend of modern, classical, and pop music for thousands of audience members. While the
principal cellist for the resident string quartet of nationally-recognized ensemble The Dream Unfinished
Orchestra (TDU), the ensemble performed and promoted the works of composers of color in
performances throughout New York City. In 2020, Sarah worked with TDU and its ensembles to create a
musically-led voter-registration campaign reaching audiences of more than 25,000 viewers. Sarah is now
the founder of the NYFA fiscally-sponsored artist project The Missing Year Project - a multimedia
storytelling platform that uses music and storytelling to explore the dreams and lived experiences of
people of color throughout the pandemic.

Formerly the Program Director for Orlando-based nonprofit A Gift For Music, Sarah led a team of eleven
teaching artists to develop engaging tuition-free string music education programming by providing free
concert tickets, masterclasses, workshops, and performance experiences to make music an integral part
of the daily lives of 300+ students each year. As a senior artistic member of the team, Sarah coached the
High School chamber strings ensemble as they performed in local venues and in dynamic performances
alongside members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. In partnership with the String Education
Department at the University of Central Florida, Sarah worked with Dr. Chung Park to develop and
implement a comprehensive curriculum for teaching school-aged students through humanity-first teaching
practices, aural training, and intensive technique development. Also while in Orlando, Sarah was the
principal cellist for Classern Quartet, an award-winning string quartet specializing in the blend of pop and
classical music. Both Sarah and Classern have been featured performers at Walt Disney World Resort
and Universal Orlando Resort.

Sarah’s teaching philosophy is to create a place of safety, freedom, and self-expression for students
where they are not only free to be themselves, but free to make mistakes. Her teaching style is
encouraging and joyful, and it is her mission to never use shame as a motivational tool for students, but
enable them to become energized and engaged collaborators as they create and respond to their own
questions about music and their instruments. It is her goal to ensure that students continue to align their
goals for learning with their goals for life.

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