Sarah Fraser Raff

Sarah Fraser Raff joined the faculty of the Royal Conservatory in 2001 and the College of Examiners in 2021.  Her students have been accepted into Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, University of Toronto, York University, and Wilfrid Laurier University.  Her students complete in all levels of the Royal Conservatory Certificate Program, including a Level 8 Silver Medal winner.
 
In addition to her teaching at the Royal Conservatory, Sarah coaches chamber music at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. She was also faculty of AVIVA Young Artists, Kinkardine Summer Festival, Port Milford Music, and CAMMAC Ontario Music Centre.
 
Sarah is a founding member of the Madawaska String Quartet Ensemble, which was established in 2001. In 2002 she also became principal violinist with CONTACT Contemporary Music Ensemble in 2002 and founded the Elmwood Trio in 2018.
 
As a performer she plays in wide-ranging programs regionally and internationally with a roster of collaborators such as sopranos Adrianne Pieczonka and Measha Brueggergosman, and pianist Jan Lisiecki. She has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, National Ballet of Canada, Tapestry New Opera, Arraymusic, Soundstreams Canada, Esprit Orchestra, and various stage musical productions as a freeelancer. Sarah has appeared in variety of festivals locally and internationally such as Festival of the Sound, Guelph Fest, Elora Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Toronto Symphony's New Creations, and 21C at Koerner Hall. Her international appearances include Festival Ibero Americano (Puerto Rico), MIT, Huddersfield New Music Festival (UK), Bang on a Can (New York), Museum of Modern Art, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Centre (EMPAC), MassMOCA LOUD weekend, and Ecstatic Music Festival at Columbia University (New York).
 
Sarah is a specialist in contemporary music and presented workshops for composers at University of Toronto, York University, Canadian Music Centre, Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop, and Guild of Canadian Film Composers.  She was also an artist-in-residence at University of Toronto’s Scarborough, Music Gallery, And Array New Music Centre.
 
She has shared stages with Seal, Rod Stewart, Chilly Gonzalez, Andrea Bocelli, and Mary J. Blige, and appeared in music videos of K-OS and Blue Rodeo.