Sarah Riskind

Sarah Riskind is a doctoral choral conducting student at the University of Washington, where she researches choral improvisation, Judeo-Spanish music, and Renaissance polyphony. A composer of sacred Jewish and secular choral music, she recently premiered her Oz Cantata for chorus, soloists, and string quartet with the UW Recital Choir (recordings at sarahriskind.com). Ms. Riskind is the Music Director at Magnolia United Church of Christ and has been a musical scholarly writing instructor, Jewish Studies Fellow, and Choral and Music History Teaching Assistant at UW. Previously, she conducted church, community, and children’s choirs and taught music at the German International School of Boston. Informed by her work on faculty at The Walden School, an inspiring summer program for creative musicians, she advocates for developing choral singers’ musicianship and improvisational skills. She received her M.M. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and her B.A. from Williams College.