
Sarah Gorak (Schmidt) began her musical journey in her elementary school orchestra program in Renton, Washington. She then furthered her interest in private violin lessons with Sara Roark (former Concertmaster of Village Theatre) and Gwendolyn Taylor (Associate Concertmaster of the Tacoma Symphony). In 2013, she graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor’s of Music Education and her K-12 teaching certification with specializations in Instrumental, Choral, and General Music. Her primary instrument during her undergraduate studies was the violin and she studied with Carrie Rehkopf Michel and Heather Netz (now staff at Idyllwild).
Sarah has filled many elementary through high school music ensemble instructor roles over the years. She was an active staff member in the CWU Preparatory Strings program and she was nominated as employee of the year in 2012. She student taught with Kara Hunnicutt (principal cellist of the Yakima Symphony and conductor of the Icicle Creek Youth Symphony) for the Ellensburg School District orchestras grades 2-12. She also did a brief practicum with Cherrie Adams at Graham Hill Elementary in Seattle.
Sarah strongly believes in being a lifelong student so she enjoys pursuing learning other fiddle styles, improvisation, and other instruments. She has attended alternative strings styles workshops including Creative Strings Workshop, Rustic Roots, Fiddle Hell, and Strings Without Boundaries. She has been actively studying with international qualifying jazz cellist Greg Byers since 2016. She is currently playing with local Cincinnati indie rock band Drop the Sun on electric violin and cello as well as with the organization Reflect Worship Arts Collaborative and various worship events. You can also find her actively teaching violin, cello, and piano at Queen City Music Studio in Mount Lookout.