We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Steranka a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I was fresh out of college and trying to work professionally as a performer. This was before I had my master’s degree; I was twenty-two years old. The director of a new music collective which shall remain nameless invited me to join them in a performance of a piece by Georg Friedrich Haas, the Austrian composer of microtonal music. They asked me if I had any experience playing new and experimental music. I lied and said yes because I desperately needed the work. I performed that program with the collective as a part of a trial and thankfully it went well. I won the job.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Sarah Steranka, and I am a Pittsburgh-based flutist specializing in new and experimental music. As a performer, I am the flutist with SydeBoob Duo, a nationally-recognized NYC-based flute and voice duo dedicated to performing contemporary chamber music at the highest level and celebrating women in music.
As an instructor, I am on faculty at Mercyhurst and Carnegie Mellon University teaching flute, chamber music, music theory, and more. I also own the Steranka Flute Studio LLC in Edgewood where I teach private flute students of all ages and levels.
I am a Boston native but moved here to the ‘burgh to complete a BFA at Carnegie Mellon University and subsequently a master’s degree at Duquesne. Both of my degrees are in flute performance.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Classically-trained instrumentalists are trained to win a job in an ensemble by taking auditions. In school, we are taught that an orchestral job means stability— a salary with benefits, like health insurance. (Ooooh, ahhhh. :P) I enjoy playing in orchestras and am fortunate that I get to do so! However, years of engaging with the audition process made me realize that it wasn’t enough for me artistically. Additionally, the frequent rejection feels relentless and discouraging.
As artists, we need to realize that rejection isn’t personal, or even necessarily bad. It just means you are selling a product to someone who is seeking to buy something else. The best thing I ever did when faced with rejection was respond by refining my craft, connecting with other creatives who both challenged me and celebrated my contributions, and selling my artistic product enthusiastically and relentlessly.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Working in new and experimental music, my job as a performer is to help composers generate an idea and bring it to artistic fruition. We are building something together, something never before written or performed. This is not a Mozart Concerto that has been performed thousands of times in human history. There is beauty and timelessness in standard repertoire; it is our connection to the past and deserves to be performed and celebrated. However, when I work with a composer, we are working together to build something new. It is alive, breathing, changing. We are innovating and redefining what is even supposed to be possible on the instrument. To me, there is joy and artistic relevance in that process. We are stepping into the unknown as performers, and as instructors we are working to introduce that to a new generation of flutists. It is a joy and a privilege to work in this area of the industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarahsterankaflutist.com
• Instagram: sarahsterankaflutist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sarahsterankaflute
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/sarahsterankaflute

Image Credits

Cavatino Creative, Alisa Garin Photography