Violin and Viola
Dr. Kenneth Sarch
Dr. Kenneth Sarch, described by Hartford Times as “an artist who performs with a flair for the colorful…” and by L'Information (Tel-Aviv) as an artist who "performed with absolute conviction and artistry," served as Professor of Violin at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania. This summer he will teach as “Violin Artist in Residence” at the International Music Institute in New Orleans. He has taught at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania as Professor of Violin and Viola, Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and String Chamber Orchestra. He performed as Concertmaster of the Williamsport Symphony for 14 years. Dr. Sarch is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he studied
with Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Sally Thomas. Further studies have been with Robert Koff of the Juilliard Quartet, and Roman Totenberg. He received the Artist Diploma from New England Conservatory (in Residence as 1st Violinist of the Boston String Quartet) and the D.M.A. from Boston University. He taught on the faculty of New England Conservatory and served as Assistant to Roman Totenberg on the faculty of Boston University for eight years. Dr. Sarch was invited to travel to Cuba as a member of a United States Delegation of String Teachers sponsored by the People to People Ambassador Program. Dr. Sarch has performed as 1st violin in the American Symphony under Leopold Stokowski, the Hartford Symphony under Arthur Winograd and as Concertmaster of the Maryland Symphony under Barry Tuckwell.
Dr. Sarch has received frequent invitations to perform, present Master Classes and conduct both in the United States and abroad. His appearances have earned him an international reputation as violinist, conductor, master teacher and clinician. Kenneth Sarch was invited to travel to Panama in 2011 to perform in the International Saint Malo Festival. Dr. Sarch was invited four times to present Violin Clinics and Workshops at ASTA National Conventions in Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Tampa and Dallas!
Kenneth Sarch was awarded the 2003 Pennsylvania Music Educators Citation of Excellence in Music Education. He has received two Fulbrights for music projects in Brazil, where he concertized, started string programs and trained teachers, and Bolivia, where he founded a symphony orchestra in Santa Cruz and gave recitals. He received
four USIA State Department Arts America grants to Panama, Israel, Jordan and Brazil, and two Fromm Foundation grants for performance at Tanglewood.
He is the author of The Twentieth Century Violin and the American String Teachers Association Dictionary of Bowing and Pizzicato Terms. KJOS Music has published his string orchestra compositions.
In the United States, Dr. Sarch has been invited to present String Workshops, Master Classes and Clinics at state, regional and national music conventions, universities and music schools as well as numerous recitals, solo and conducting appearances in Brazil,
Jordan, Israel, Venezuela, Bolivia, Canada, Europe and Panama. Dr. Sarch was invited to present String Workshops with violin students at the Casals Conservatory in Puerto Rico. In addition to teaching Violin and Viola at Raritan Music Center, Dr. Sarch is
on board to conduct the NJ State Youth Orchestra Intermediate String Orchestra for 2023-24 in Middletown, NJ.
"My teaching philosophy is driven by the desire to have my students arrive at a higher level of accomplishment than I have achieved. This means that I offer all I know and can do and then send them out to discover more, that I provide opportunities for the students to learn from others and from each other, that I set standards for the students that are ever higher but always within reach, and that students understand that the striving for Perfection is a journey and a goal, not an absolute. My motto: "Hitch Your Wagon to a Star." I tell my students that if they aim high and fall short, they are much better off than if they set their sights short, to begin with. I believe in teaching by example as much as by instruction. At times, students need precise directions and information to succeed, but at other times they need emotional support, confidence, and encouragement. Self-discovery is often more valuable than fact-feeding."
