Composer

Biography

Sarah McCallum was born in Sydney Australia in 1983 to New Zealand parents. Her father is a singer songwriter, her mother a music teacher and her two older brothers who have also pursued strong musical interests. The family returned to Auckland New Zealand when Sarah was seven.

At nine years of age she began playing the oboe achieving ATCL in 2000. Also that year she was chosen as one of ten students in the NZSO mentor scheme. Sarah enjoys learning and performing in a variety of musical styles including jazz, learning jazz piano and singing from Phil Broadhurst and Julie Mason.

In 1999 Sarah was a nation finalist in the Pepsismokefree Rockquest. She also won the Most Promising Woman Musician and Song Writing Awards at the regional final. As a student at Westlake Girls’ High School, Sarah has been a member, for four years, of the nationally and internationally recognised Key Cygnetures choir and other school groups including the Westlake Symphony orchestra. In 1999 she gained 100% in School Certificate music.

In 2000 Sarah began classical singing lessons gaining distinction in both grades 6 and 7 in the same year. Also she won two awards for composition. Firstly, the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Choral Composition Competition for her piece “Poem From War” and the K.B.B. instrumental composition competition in conjunction with 175 East for “Those Bloody Basses”. Currently Sarah is the youngest member of the Tower New Zealand Youth Choir.