Sarah Jo Zaharako began playing violin at age five.   She studied classical music as a child in Indianapolis and Chicago.   Sarah attended Oberlin Conservatory where she completed bachelor's degrees in music performance and arts education.   She spent two summers at the Tanglewood Music Festival and has performed in Carnegie Hall on numerous occasions.   Sarah moved to the Bay Area in 1999 in order to expand her musical scope.   She has since incorporated free improvisation, Klezmer, Balkan, jazz, and fiddle music into her performance and teaching repertoire.   In 2002, she completed a Masters of Fine Arts at Mills College where she studied violin with David Abel and improvisation with Fred Frith. She is a cofounder of the band Gojogo and founder of the group Scrappy.   She is also a member of the Matt Small Ensemble, a contemporary chamber group that explores both jazz and classical composition.

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's compositional style also incorporates improvisation.   She writes works with particular performers in mind, allowing freedom for personal adaptation.