About Sara
Dr. Sara Huff is the pianist and organist at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, Vermont. Her work as a performer, composer, and educator spans decades of musical exploration and fostering inclusive community.
Musical Education
Dr. Huff's musical journey began with Rhea Sadowsky-Morton and Estelle Titiev in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she built her foundational skills at the piano. She continued her studies with Barbara Rowan in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, expanding her repertoire and developing her own musical voice.
Her training progressed with Dr. Tinka Knopf at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, where she deepened her technical abilities and performance experience. Dr. Huff completed her studies with Hungarian pianist Dr. Bela Nagy, whose European classical background added another layer to her musical understanding. This diverse
educational path has shaped her approach to both performance and teaching.
Teaching
Dr. Huff has been an adjunct faculty member at Keene State College and Green Mountain College. She spent nineteen years with the Sonatina programs, serving as faculty at the International Piano Camps and Adult Sonatas while also working as administrator of the Sonatina Community Music School in Bennington, Vermont. This long tenure allowed her to work with students of all ages and contribute to Vermont's musical community.
Her teaching balances technical skill-building with creative expression, helping students develop their own relationship with music while building solid foundations.
Compositions and Recognition
As a composer, Dr. Huff finds joy in creating music across many different genres. Her compositions and arrangements are published through Alfred Music Publishing, FJH Music Publishing, Transcontinental Jewish Press, sheetmusicplus.com, and through her website LISPIRITANO MUSIC.
Dr. Huff has received recognition for her compositions in multiple venues. I Lift My Eyes to the Hills was a finalist in the Susan Galloway Sacred Song Competition, and the Vermont State Music Teachers Association commissioned her Variations for Violin and Piano. Her clarinet solo was featured in the Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame concert series.
Recent projects include her hymn Golden Light, which is in the Unitarian Universalist virtual hymnal, and St. John's in the Mountains Mass Setting, created to provide accessible service music for worship services. These pieces reflect her interest in writing contemporary worship music that serves real congregational needs. She recently had a hymn accepted into Sing Out Love, an online hymnal of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Current Work
At the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, Dr. Huff provides musical leadership for worship services. Dr. Huff enjoys choosing between piano and organ, creating everything from quiet, meditative preludes to full, boisterous postludes that reflect the spirit of the gathering.
Through her performing, composing, and teaching, Dr. Huff creates space for others to discover the shared experience of music-making and the connection it fosters.
Contact Sara today to learn more about virtual lessons, commissioning her work, or with general questions.