Sarah Sew

Sarah Sew

Key Facts

Biography

Sarah Sew is recipient of multiple awards including the prestigious Maisie Lewis Young Artists’ Fund Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians which supported her recital debut at Wigmore Hall in 2011, the Emanuel Hurwitz Award for an outstanding UK violinist from the Philharmonia Orchestra/Martin Musical Scholarship Fund (2009), the J & A Beare Prize from the Royal Academy of Music (2010) and the Aleksander Pavlovíc Award from the European Union Youth Orchestra (2012). Sarah has appeared at recital venues throughout the UK and as a soloist has performed concerti by Bruch, Elgar, Mendelssohn, Mozart (No.3 and No.5), Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi (Four Seasons). In 2012 she was rehearsal soloist for Pinchas Zukerman with the European Union Youth Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Sarah has performed internationally at Zermatt Festival, Switzerland; Bolzano Festival, Italy; Grafenegg Festival, Austria; Cheltenham Festival, UK; Interlaken Classics, Switzerland; Gustav Mahler Akademie, Italy; Kenmin Hall, Japan; Wigmore Hall, UK; Kings Place, UK and the Open Chamber Music Session at the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove.

Sarah served as Concert Master of the European Union Youth Orchestra from 2010-2012 working with conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Semyon Bychkov, Gianandrea Noseda and soloists such as Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman and Garrick Ohlsson. Sarah led the orchestra at international festivals and venues including the BBC Proms; Carnegie Hall, New York; Symphony Hall, Boston; World Expo, Shanghai; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and performed the violin solo from Schindler’s List at the Berlin Konzerthaus. Since January 2014, Sarah holds the position of Principal First Violin of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Under Principal Conductor John Wilson, the orchestra is run by Ireland’s national television and broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

Sarah has performed, toured and recorded extensively with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Britten Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra and London Sinfonietta working with conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Christoph von Dohnányi, Mark Elder and Vasily Petrenko. Sarah also works as a session musician recording major commercial scores, including soundtracks for the final two Harry Potter films and TV series Downton Abbey, video games scores, classical and non-classical works at Abbey Road, Angel and Air Lyndhurst Studios in London.

Sarah studied with Maurice Hasson and Howard Davis at the Royal Academy of Music in London and Friedemann Eichhorn at the Liszt School of Music Weimar in Germany. Sarah graduated with a first-class honours bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree with distinction and the DipRAM for outstanding Final Recital. Sarah’s studies were supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, San Martino Scholarship, Lynn Foundation and South Square Trust. Competition successes and awards include First Prize in the Wessex String Prize (2005), Winner of the Central England Ensemble Concerto Competition (2008) and the D M Lloyd Prize (2006), Lesley Alexander Award (2008) and Peter Latham Gift (2009) at the Royal Academy of Music.

Sarah plays a fine Italian violin by Gennaro Gagliano c.1760.