Sarah Ioannides Hartman,
El Paso Symphony Orchestra Music Director

Sarah Ioannides began her tenure as Music Director for the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Texas, and the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, South Carolina in 2005. She has received phenomenal press for her subscription performances both in El Paso and Spartanburg. She is known in the press for dazzling her audiences with innovative and exciting programming combined with graceful, powerful and energetic conducting.

In addition to her two Music Director positions she has appeared frequently as guest conductor both in America and internationally. Recent engagements include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea, the Orquesta Sinfónica Municipal de Caracas in Venezuela, the Flemish Radio Orchestra at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Bachakademie in Stuttgart, the Naumburg Concert Series in New York City, the Annapolis Symphony and Indiana University’s Philharmonic Orchestra.

Special multimedia performances include the Tan Dun Water Passion in Perth, Australia in 2005 as the first conductor to perform this work other than the composer, multimedia performances of Steve Reich’s The Desert Music with film commissioned by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra in 2006 and live video multi-media production of Tan Dun’s Water Percussion Concerto in 2007. Ms. Ioannides is an active supporter of living composers, having conducted numerous world premieres and been responsible for several commissions.

Between 2002 until 2004, she served as Assistant Conductor and cover conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and was awarded the Bruno Walter Assistant Conductor Chair during her tenure with the orchestra. As such, she worked with distinguished conductors, Paavo Jarvi, May Festival Director, James Conlon and Cincinnati Pops conductor Erich Kunzel.

Ms. Ioannides served as Assistant Conductor to composer Tan Dun from 1999 to 2003, touring Japan, China, Hong Kong, Russia, France, Germany, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. As such, she conducted the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, and the Oregon Bach Festival. In 2002, she was selected by American Symphony Orchestra League to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic, working with Esa-Pekka Salonen. Ms. Ioannides was Choir Director for the RIAS Kammerchor and Production Coordinator for the world premiere of Tan Dun’s Water Passion in 2000. She served as Production Coordinator and Assistant Conductor to the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta for the Tan Dun Fire Crossing Water Festival at the Barbican Center.

Born in Canberra, Australia to a Scottish mother and Cypriot father, Sarah Ioannides grew up in England. She studied violin, piano and French horn and earned a Masters of Arts in Music at Oxford University. Formerly a member of the National Youth Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra, she played professionally as a violinist. In 1996, Ms. Ioannides was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and entered the Curtis Institute of Music as a conductor. From there, she was awarded the Presser Foundation Scholarship to study in St. Petersburg. She subsequently received a Masters of Music in Conducting at the Juilliard School, was awarded the Bruno Walter Scholarship, and served as assistant conductor to Otto Werner-Mueller. From 1997-2000, Ms. Ioannides was Music Director of the Swarthmore Orchestra and Associate in Performance at Swarthmore College. In 2001, she received the JoAnne Falletta Award for the most promising female conductor.

More information can be seen on her website: www.sarahioannides.net