Kilkenny native navigating New York City’s music scene

Kilkenny native Sarah K Quinn is making a name for herself in New York City as a vocalist, conductor, and music director.

From her early beginnings in the Kilkenny music and theatre scene, to leading productions and ensembles in the city that never sleeps, Sarah believes passion and perseverance is the key to success. 

She owes it all to her upbringing in Kilkenny and its vibrant arts scene. Her love of music and the arts started at home. Her mother, Ann-Marie Kenny, is a Kilkenny-based music teacher who introduced her to classical piano and music theory. Her two aunts, Cathy Kenny and Colette Kenny, along with her grandmother, Kit Quinn, are also music teachers. Her grandfather, the late Sean Kenny, was a prolific writer and artist.

As the arts have a unique way of fostering community, it was only natural for her to be drawn to join Jesters Stage Academy, a popular youth theatre company founded by Olivia Smith and Niamh Dooley, where she discovered her love for musical theatre.

At sixteen years old, she saw an opportunity to bring her creative vision to life on stage, and with her school’s approval, organised and directed her own production of Annie at Presentation School Kilkenny. To further develop her musicianship and pave the way for a music career, she pursued voice lessons with Christine Scarry, a well-established vocal coach and theatre director currently based in Kilkenny. 

These formative experiences laid the groundwork for her career, leading her to study at MTU Cork School of Music. She completed a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours, studying under Majella Cullagh, Frances Kelleher, and the late Robert Craig, specialising in Vocal Performance and Conducting. She quickly established herself as a music educator, teaching at Montfort College of Performing Arts and Musica Fusion School of Music and Dance.

Throughout her years in college, she was a member of multiple choirs, including Madrigal 75’, Cappella Lyrica, MTU Glór Choral Society, and Sing Ireland’s Irish Youth Choir, which she has performed with internationally. Her involvement in the Irish choral scene sparked an interest in conducting, with national choirs such as the Bus Éireann Community Choir Cork and Highfield Club Community Choir Cork and internationally with the Long Lake Camp Chamber Orchestra. 

Sarah always dreamed of moving to New York to pursue a career in music and theatre, and in 2023 she finally took a leap of faith. One year down the line, Sarah has brought her expertise to the forefront of the city’s music scene. She is a vocalist and conductor of the renowned C4: The Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, a group of selective musicians dedicated to performing works by contemporary composers and pushing the boundaries of choral music. Sarah has conducted and performed in multiple concerts with C4, including their celebrated PREMIERES series, which supports emerging composers in refining their works for performance. Her next concert with C4 is on December 14, which choral music fans can find on their website c4ensemble.org.

In addition to her choral work, Sarah has served as Music Director for notable productions, including the Off-Off-Broadway musical Under the Sheet (AEA) with Moxie Arts New York and a staged reading of Depresh Mode at the Evolution Festival at the Center at West Park. She is currently the resident music director for New York All Stars Performing Arts, with Disney Jr’s Alice in Wonderland and Annie as their most recent productions. She has collaborated with multiple artists and associations across disciplines as a musician, including the The American Irish Historical Society, St Ann & the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Redeemer St John’s Lutheran Church. 

Looking forward, she hopes to continue her career in New York as a musician and conductor, crediting her recent mentorship with Off The Lane as an important step. Working with her mentor, prolific music director George Luton, Sarah has a new perspective on what it means to be a musician in NYC, and looks forward to creating her own path. 

“Since moving to New York, the opportunities are endless, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be immersed in the artistic community that I always longed to be a part of! Being a musician in a city like New York often means creating your own work! So I’m always seeking new opportunities, new music, new experiences, anything that piques my interest.” 

Reflecting on her roots, Sarah shares,

“Growing up in Kilkenny gave me a strong foundation in music and theatre. Those experiences and the community shaped who I am as an artist today and I carry that spirit with me in everything I do.” 

sarahkquinn.com