About

​​​

Sarah Williams is the reason a project found its form.

 

She trained as a producer, but her practice has grown into something harder to categorize, working with artists, institutions, and funders across film, performance, music, and visual arts. She is most often brought in at the moment of formation, when the people, structure, and direction are still being determined.​ 

​

She has been described as "a savvy commissioner of new works" (Musical America), a "tirelessly inventive curator" (Opera News), and recognized for expanding the field through her approach to artists, audiences, and creative development (Opera Magazine). She is a recipient of the Philadelphia Business Journal's Woman of Distinction award and was named one of Musical America's Top 30 Professionals of the Year. ​

​

SarahProduces LLC

​

Through SarahProduces LLC, Sarah works on longer-term collaborations and larger initiatives involving multiple partners, timelines, and structures.​ Her approach integrates artistic development with organizational planning, building consortiums, developing partnerships, and aligning creative ambition with sustainable frameworks.

​

Current collaborations include Spoleto Festival USA, Opera America, The Apollo Theater, National Sawdust, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, and artists including Tyshawn Sorey, Will Liverman, Raquel Acevedo Klein, Daniela Mack, Rene Orth, Bamuthi, and Tiona Nekkia McClodden.

​

Practice

​

Her work moves across disciplines and scales, from early-stage development to large institutional collaborations.

​​​​

• Film & Media: "The Island We Made" with Sasha Velour, "Paper Tiger" with Sean Pecknold

• Theater & Performance: Bill T. Jones, Raja Feather Kelly, Michael R. Jackson, Lileana Blain-Cruz

• Music & Sound: Tyshawn Sorey, Esperanza Spalding, Missy Mazzoli, Caroline Shaw, Wayne Shorter

• Visual Arts: Arthur Jafa, George Condo, Tiona Nekkia McClodden

 

Institutional collaborations include Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Music Theatre Wales. 

​​

Opera Philadelphia​

​

As Director of New Works & Creative Producer at Opera Philadelphia, Sarah led a major expansion of the company's creative output, establishing it as one of the country's leading presenters of new work.

​​​

• 20+ world premieres commissioned and produced

• Grammy nominations and New York Times Best Musical Performances recognition

• 50% increase in under-35 attendance through innovative audience development

• First U.S. producer of a Fedora Generali Prize-winning opera

• National model for composer-in-residence programs

​​

Leadership Beyond the Studio​​

​

Sarah has served as Interim General Manager of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. During COVID-19, she produced a global digital film festival and streaming platform from the ground up, demonstrating the same instinct that defines her broader practice: building the right structure for the moment, whatever form that takes. 

​

Speaking & Thought Leadership​​

​

Sarah is a frequent speaker on creative leadership, commissioning, and equity in the arts. She has presented at the University of Pennsylvania, The New School, UMass Amherst, Leuphana Universität, and with organizations including Opera America, the Dramatists Guild, the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, Sō Percussion Summer Institute, and the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. 

​​