SARAH J. COLES

 Sarah J Coles (1967-) is a composer from Pembroke, Ontario. She earned a BMus in composition at Wilfrid Laurier University at the age of 21, studying with Boyd McDonald, Peter Hatch, and Glenn Buhr, and later studied in Manitoba with Pat Carrabre. She also earned a B.Ed. from U of T and a MMus from Western.

Sarah is a multi-instrumentalist, teacher, artist, mother, and writer. Her experience as a saxophonist in big bands brings a jazz influence to her writing. Her music often depicts natural phenomena, or emotional experiences. 

Sarah writes frequently for bands, choirs, and small ensembles, and has had her music performed across Canada, as well as in England and the US. Sarah served as the Composer-in-Residence with the Cambridge Concert Band as well as a member of the Wellington Wind Symphony prior to retiring from teaching and moving back to the Ottawa Valley, where she teaches privately, plays in the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra, and conducts the Petawawa Legion Band. She is an Associate Composer with the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers and the Association of Canadian Women Composers.