Sarah Pfister

Violist and Violinist Sarah Pfister began her Suzuki journey at the age of five as a Suzuki violin student. As a sophomore in High School she took up the viola and chose to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree as a double major in violin and viola performance at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Sarah then went on to receiver her Masters of Music in viola performance and Suzuki violin pedagogy from the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Music. Sarah has completed both short-term and long-term Suzuki teacher training with trainers including Liz Arbus, Teri Einfeldt, Julia Hardie, Ed Kreitman, Cathryn Lee, and Kathleen Spring. While pursuing her graduate degree, she founded the Suzuki violin and viola program at the Montessori School of Greater Hartford, was the conductor for the Newington High School Chamber Orchestra, and served frequently as a substitute violin and viola teacher for The Hartt Community Division. After graduating, Sarah served on the faculty of the Greenwich Suzuki Academy from 2014-2017 teaching Suzuki Early Childhood classes and all levels of violin and viola students. From 2017 until 2021 Sarah served as the principal violist of the Ruse State Opera Orchestra in Bulgaria and founded a children’s music program there in 2019 called Radostni Zvutsi. Sarah has taught and performed over the years at a variety of summer Institutes and camps including serving as first violinist at Camp of the Woods in 2015, participating as a full tuition fellow in the Texas Music Festival in 2014, and teaching at both Cazadero Summer Music Camp and The Santa Barbara Suzuki Institute. She now lives and teaches in Roanoke, VA.