Sarah Foard

Sarah Foard teaches Suzuki, traditional violin, and fiddle lessons from her home practice, L’Adoré, in Arlington, VA and also at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC. Together, she maintains a vibrant and full studio of students of all ages and levels. Sarah has studied Suzuki violin pedagogy with Rhonda Cole, Christie Felsing, Cathryn Lee, and Ed Sprunger, and traditional pedagogy with Rebecca Henry at the Peabody Institute of Music, Gerald Doan at the Cincinninnati College-Conservatory of Music, Mimi Zweig at Indiana University. Additionally, Sarah has received O’Connor Method fiddle pedagogy training and teaches fiddle and improvisation using the O’Connor series.

As a performer, Sarah blends the clean sounds of a classical violinist with the energy of Irish reels and the soul of early American jazz. Sarah began studying the violin at the age of five in Huntington, West Virginia where she practiced violin every day with her great-grandmother and concert pianist, Dede (Mary Shep Mann). Sarah completed a music degree at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music studying with Patricia Green, Laura Kobayashi, Piotr Milewski, and Rebecca Henry. She has also studied jazz violin with Eddie Drennon and improvisation with Tina Chancey. Sarah has performed at many venues throughout the DC area including the Kennedy Center, the ATLAS Theater, THEARC, and Strathmore Music Center. She now performs regularly with Black Oranges, the Sligo Creek Stompers, and the String Mamas.

In addition to performing and teaching music, Sarah has been a long time advocate of the Alexander Technique. Sarah has studied AT with numerous teachers including Karen Guertler, Cynthia Mauney, Jan Baty, and many more and incorporates its principles into her violin teaching.

To learn more about Sarah Foard’s private studios and hear her recordings, visit www.ladorestudio.com.