Violinist Dr. Sarah Off has established herself as an innovative and passionate performer and educator. Her performances have been described as “receiving rapturous reception” (The Times, London), “brilliant and seamless with great focus” (AZ State Press) and “intuitively talented” (Bridge Initiative). She regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician and has performed in Iceland’s Harpa International Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival in Vermont, Music in the Mountains Festival and Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado, Oh My Ears New Music Festival, and as soloist with the Boulder Symphony, the Greeley Philharmonic, and Durango’s Music in the Mountains Chamber Orchestra, among others.
Her recent world premiere performance of Dylan Fixmer’s Concerto for Violin was featured in The Times – London, on Radio Classique – Paris, and on Colorado Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” and “All Thing’s Considered”. An avid chamber musician, Sarah has had the privilege of working and performing with the Brentano, Juilliard, and Orion String Quartets, through the String Quartet Residency program at Arizona State University, as well as collaborating with the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the American Composer Alliance. As an advocate of new music, Sarah frequently commissions and performs new works for violin including her solo album Alone (2021) which featured works by composer Dylan Fixmer, as well as performances for the Open Space New Music Festival, the Crested Butte Music Festival and as Guest Artist at the University of Wisconsin, Superior.
From 2011-2018 Sarah performed as the violinist and co-founder of Tandem Duo with percussionist Marilyn Clark Silva. As composers and advocates of new music, Tandem Duo wrote, commissioned, and premiered newly composed works including the two original scores for theatrical works as the Resident Artist Group for the Tempe Center for the Arts, three album releases, and collaborations with EPIK Dance Company and the Bridge Initiative Women in Theater Group. Tandem Duo hosted the International Kondo New Music Festival in 2016 highlighting the work of Japanese Composer, Kohei Kondo. Additionally Sarah is an enthusiastic music educator and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Violin and Music Business and Co-Director of the Center for Art Entrepreneurship at the University of Northern Colorado College of Visual and Performing Arts. She was named the 2022-2023 “Dean’s Fellow of Community Engagement and Creative Arts Entrepreneurship” at UNC.
As an educator, Sarah aims to provide students with a solid understanding and command of their instrument and musicianship, balanced with expertise in entrepreneurship and business savvy. She believes that creativity, advocacy, business skills and community engagement are vital for the sustainability and progress of the arts in today’s industry. Her recent public speaking engagements include presentations for the American String Teachers Association National Conference, the College Music Society’s National Conference, Women in Jazz National Festival and the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference.
Cellist Mathieu D’Ordine is a devoted interpreter of a wide variety of music in the Western canon from Gabrielli to Schnittke. He is passionate about seeking out unusual corners of the cello repertoire, such as Petitgerard’s Hamelin for Solo Cello. Mathieu was a featured soloist with Boulder Symphony in 2012, playing Woven Variations by the Grammy award winning composer Austin Wintory, and again in 2016 playing the Brahms Double Concerto with Sarah Off. He also served as an Associate Conductor of Boulder Opera Company from 2013 thru 2016, helming productions of Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, and Handel’s Orlando, in addition to the annual fundraiser galas. He has been on the faculty at Mt Blanca Summer Music Conservatory since its second season where he enjoys teaching cello, music appreciation, and coaching chamber music. In 2019, Mathieu founded Ideal Opera – a business offering custom orchestral and chamber arrangements of standard operatic repertoire, focusing on fitting opera to a small scale for outreach tours, children’s shows, and new opera companies finding their feet. In the summer of 2023, Ideal Opera plans to record an album of these arrangements featuring local Colorado artists.
