Sarah-Grace Williams, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director

Sarah-Grace Williams has gained a reputation as one of Australia’s foremost conductors of her generation. She is currently the Assistant Conductor of The Queensland Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Western Australian Symphony Orchestra and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and holds the posts of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra and Strathfield Symphony Orchestra, Musical Director and Conductor of the Sydney Opera House Proms Orchestra and Associate Conductor of The Occasional Performing Sinfonia (TOPS). Additionally, Sarah-Grace is regularly engaged as a Guest Conductor and Presenter with many other ensembles including the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Penrith Symphony Orchestra, Australian Institute of Music ChAIMber Orchestra and Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra.

An accomplished clarinetist and pianist, Sarah-Grace received her Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction, majoring in performance and composition. She went on to achieve First Class Honours in Conducting before continuing conducting studies in Russia and Holland with Alexander Polishchuk and Jorma Panula respectively. A principal graduate from Symphony Australia's prestigious Conductor Program and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Conductors Program, Sarah-Grace has conducted most of Australia’s and New Zealand’s premier orchestras under the tutorage of esteemed conductors Johannes Fritzsch, Janos Furst, Sebastian Lang-Lessing, Christopher Seaman, David Porcelijn and Marco Zuccarini. As a result, Sarah-Grace has received invitations to conduct a number of concert seasons and was delighted to secure an ongoing mentorship with Maestro Fritzsch with whom she has been working with since the beginning of 2008.

Sarah-Grace is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Australian International Conservatorium and remains a highly sought after lecturer, vocal coach and adjudicator. She has composed, arranged and recorded music for films, theatre productions, symphonic ensembles and chamber groups and continues to work as a freelance Clarinetist and Pianist. Sarah-Grace has been awarded numerous prizes including the Symphony Australia Podium Scholarship, University of Western Sydney Prize for Academic Excellence, the Sound Devices Prize for excellence in Performance and the Guitar Factory Scholarship.

Last updated: June 2009

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