Résumé available upon request
Heralded by Reno Arts News for her “tender” playing, Sarah Coyl enjoys a diverse musical career playing and teaching viola and violin. She holds the positions of Assistant Principal Viola of the Reno Philharmonic, Section Viola in the Reno Chamber Orchestra, and Instructor of violin at UNR. As an emerging chamber musician, she has performed on viola with world-renowned pianist Joyce Yang. She frequently appears with the Listeso String Quartet in the wildly popular Candlelight Concerts series. Recent solo engagements include performances of the Bruch Violin Concerto with the Toccata-Tahoe Symphony Orchestra.
Deeply passionate about ballet music, Coyl has collaborated with Butler University's nationally regarded ballet company, serving as concertmaster and principal second violin for the Butler Ballet orchestra. Her latest endeavor was an album project of her own arrangements of music from Tchaikovsky’s ballets, adapted for violin and guitar. The album, titled Pas de Deux, was published to PARMA Recordings’ Navona label, and is available for streaming and purchase on all major platforms.
While pursuing her Master’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno, Coyl won the chance to play the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the UNR Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her studies she also played in the Nightingale String Quartet, the University’s quartet-in-residence. She studied with Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio (former principal second violin of the Cleveland Orchestra) and Dmitri Atapine (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center).
Coyl’s most formative artistic experiences have occurred outside of the Higher Education sphere. She has established relationships with inner city schools, such as Edison School of the Arts in downtown Indianapolis, to promote programs that provide subsidized private lessons and music classes for low-income families. She has programmed recitals at hospitals, retirement homes, and shelters, guided by a passion for making classical music more accessible.
As a teacher, Coyl strives to impart excellent fundamental technique to all of her students, setting them up to play to the best of their ability, no matter what kind of music they wish to pursue. Her students hold principal positions in Reno's youth orchestras.
Headshot by Digiman Studios, courtesy of the Reno Phil.
Bruch Romanze for Viola with the Toccata-Tahoe Orchestra, September 2024