Sarah Alexander is in her 4th year as a classical accordion student at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying with Djordje Gajic. She started learning accordion at the age of 6 and learned classically from the age of 15 when she started at St Mary’s Music School. While at St Mary’s, Sarah developed a passion for chamber music, and also enjoyed learning flute with Emma Roche and organ with Duncan Ferguson. After achieving her ABRSM flute diploma at the end of school studies, Sarah has been learning with Richard Blake since starting her undergraduate students.
As an alumni of Awards for Young Musicians, Sarah has given various concerts throughout Scotland and London with them, after winning the Robert Lewin Scholarship to help her purchase a freebass accordion in 2013. Before her studies, she competed in the Scottish music scene, winning the Ladies’ Overall at The Perth Accordion Festival, and competing at The Oban Invitational Masters in The Highlands & Islands Music & Dance Competition. Sarah has won numerous prizes in the Edinburgh Competition Festival for chamber music, which saw her perform at Queen’s Hall in the final night of the festival. She has also won numerous prizes for classical accordion at The National Association of Accordion & Fiddle Club Championships and The National Accordion Organisation UK Championships in 2013. In Sarah’s first year at the RCS, she was the recipient of The Agnes Millar Harmony & Counterpoint Prize for Practical Musicianship, and in her second year she was commended for her performance in the Bach Competition.
In 2015, she gave a solo recital at The Edinburgh Fringe in St Mary’s Metropolitan Cathedral as part of a series of lunchtime concerts with RCS students. Sarah has also given recitals at Renfield Stephen’s Church in Glasgow presented by Classical Musicians Scotland, and at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen as part of their concert series. She has also played in several of the Keyboard Showcase Concerts at the RCS. Sarah has also received masterclasses from Milos Miliovojevic and James Crabb while studying in Glasgow, and has been to see Owen Murray and Bjarke Mogenson give masterclasses down at The Royal Academy of Music in London.
On the flute, Sarah has played in many youth orchestras, and enjoys playing freelance around Glasgow and Edinburgh. She has also played with Opera Dei Lumi, Fox Opera and The Edinburgh Incidental Orchestra. During her high school years she played with The Moray Schools Youth Orchestra, and performed Chaminade's Concertino with the orchestra in 2011. Since 2015, she has been an instrumental tutor on the course.
Away from her studies, Sarah has been an accordion tutor at The Glasgow Folk-Music Workshop since April 2015, and has taken up private pupils in the Glasgow area. She has been Director of Music & Organist at Williamwood Parish Church since November 2015, where she directs the church choir, plays for various services, and also runs a successful concert series in the summer. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys playing the piano and is passionate about promoting the accordion as a classical instrument.
