Sarah Jo Zaharako began her musical training at age five in Indiana.  She studied classical violin as a child and attended Oberlin Conservatory. Sarah moved to the Bay Area in 1999 in order to expand her musical scope. In 2002, she completed a Masters of Fine Arts at Mills College where she studied violin with David Abel and improvisation with Fred Frith.  Sarah now performs and composes for creative music ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area including Gojogo and Seventh Avenue String Quartet.  She also plays with Matt Small’s Chamber Ensemble.  In addition to composing for instrumental groups, Sarah creates music for dance.  She has premiered works with Ballet Counterpointe, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet pre-professional program, and the Rotterdam Dance Academy.   She collaborates frequently with choreographers Kara Davis and Amy Raymond.

Sarah’s teaching philosophy reflects her performance interests.  She incorporates improvisation from the very beginning in order to help students develop a personal relationship with music and their instrument.   Sarah teaches private lessons, chamber music, and song writing in Berkeley, California where she lives with her husband and three-year-old son.