Artistic Leader. Creative Producer. Speaker. Consultant.
About
Sarah Williams is a recognized multidisciplinary leader and producer in the arts with a formidable ability to cultivate and curate the unexpected, incite new ways of thinking, diversify the art and audience, and revitalize organizations with a global impact. Sarah was named among the top 30 Professionals of the Year by Musical America and one of Philadelphia Business Journal's Women of Distinction.
When Sarah arrived at Opera Philadelphia as the Director of New Works & Creative Producer, the company hadn't produced a world premiere in almost three decades. Since then, Sarah has cultivated numerous award-winning world premieres, co-commissions, and creative works, making the company an industry leader in producing new work for the physical and digital space. The works have won the Music Critics of Association of North America Awards, been listed as the top musical performances by the New York Times, nominated for International Opera Awards, nominated for Grammy Awards, and the first American opera to win the Fedora Generali Prize. In addition, she molded the Composer in Residence program into a highly individualized professional development initiative. As artistic leadership, she designs, develops, and shapes program planning, fostering significant work celebrating the rich history of opera and beyond.
Working across artistic mediums, Sarah produces and consults for a variety of artists and organizations. An in demand speaker and lecturer she was most recently at The University of Pennsylvania, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, The New School, The Hart Institute for Women Conductors, The Dramatists Guild, and The So Percussion Institute. At Opera America she serves as a mentor for The Mentorship Program and was on the panel for the first IDEA grant for composers and librettists of color. She produced a 6-day global film festival and has held various positions including Interim General Manager at the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Sarah holds a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, a Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College, and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Cornell University. She serves on the board and governance committee of American Composers Forum, the Executive Board of Wildflower Composers, is a member of New Opera Dialogues, and a mentor for Utopia Arts.