sarah williams

oboist | teacher

About

Oboist Sarah Williams experienced love at first sight at the age of four when her parents introduced a piano into their home. Displaying a natural artistic intuition and an emotional investment in the study of music, weekly piano lessons quickly grew into a hunger for a comprehensive dive into the art of interpretation.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Sarah joins the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra in 2025 as principal oboe. An active performer, she has appeared with numerous ensembles, including the Richmond Symphony, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Chelsea Symphony, the Jackson Heights Orchestra, the Hunter Symphony Orchestra, and at Lincoln Center for the New York premiere of John Luther Adams’ Crossing Open Ground. As a devoted teacher, she maintains a private oboe studio, makes and sells oboe reeds, and is on the faculty at the Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center. In June 2025, she served as the Teaching Assistant at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music.

Sarah received her bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Elaine Douvas, receiving additional instruction from Nathan Hughes, Linda Strommen, Scott Hostetler, Julia DeRosa, and Melissa Hooper. She regularly performed with the Juilliard Orchestra and was a Teaching Assistant for the Oboe Class. She had the pleasure of serving as Principal Oboist of the New York Youth Symphony for their 2019-20 season and was featured on CNN’s “The Fourth in America” with Billy Ray Cyrus. When she is not practicing or making reeds, Sarah enjoys sampling coffee shops, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Contact

Lessons

❝ I am thankful that I have found an oboe instructor as knowledgeable, patient, and friendly as Sarah. I love her style of teaching as it reflects her tremendous talent, dedication, and expertise as an oboist and teacher. In addition, she understands my capabilities and encourages me to improve on my abilities by fully explaining and demonstrating the concepts and techniques she incorporates into her lessons. Further, Sarah is timely and flexible in scheduling our lessons via the Zoom platform, which is nice as it works well and suits me being able to do them from home. I am very grateful to have found Sarah and look forward to our lesson time each week! ❞

— Janie C., current student

As musicians, perhaps the most impactful part of our journey is the time we spend with our teachers. With this in mind, I tailor each lesson to the needs of the student, meeting them at their necessary pace while continuing to build confidence and ask for more. I believe that musicality should be at the forefront of every goal and therefore should be involved in every part of our practice, no matter how technical or routine. This will be the focus of most lessons, with the understanding that musicality can always be used as a means to an end in our playing.
Teaching is the most rewarding part of my life as a musician, and I look forward to every lesson. I can’t wait to work together and help each other grow.
- $70 per hour ($10 travel fee applies if traveling to your home)
- Zoom and in-home lessons available
- $70 per hour ($10 travel fee applies if traveling to your home)
- Zoom and in-home lessons available

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❝After years of trying many different reed sources I am thrilled to be playing on Sarah’s reeds. Her reeds are excellent quality and help me produce a much more even, nicer and darker tone—which ultimately helps improve my confidence and technique, and greatly adds to my overall playing experience!❞

— Janie C., current student

Reeds