Sarah Mellander Bierhaus holding an oboe

Sarah Bierhaus

Adjunct Faculty, Oboe

What I do

Adjunct Faculty, Oboe & English Horn

Specialization(s)

Oboe, English horn

Professional Biography

Sarah Bierhaus is in high demand as an orchestral oboe and English horn player in Colorado’s Front Range region. She is the principal oboist of the Opera Colorado and Boulder Philharmonic orchestras, associate principal oboist of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and second oboist with the Central City Opera orchestra. Dr. Bierhaus also played principal oboe with the Fort Collins Symphony for six years and has played with the Colorado Symphony, Greely Philharmonic, Pro Musica Colorado, Colorado Music Festival, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and Binghamton Philharmonic.

As a founding member of the Antero Winds--formerly known as the Arundo Winds--Dr. Bierhaus has performed numerous recitals and educational outreach events throughout Colorado and beyond. The quintet won the Silver Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. The Antero Winds are known for being champions of new music and have performed many world premieres.

Dr. Bierhaus has been a member of the oboe and chamber music faculty of the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music since 2011. Prior to teaching at Lamont, Dr. Bierhaus taught at the University of Northern Colorado and Regis University. She also maintains a selective private teaching studio and has presented master classes for high school and college students at the University of Florida, Stetson University, Utah State University, Casper College, Carleton College, and the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra. Dr. Bierhaus has been an oboe and English horn enthusiast since the age of five and loves to visit elementary and middle schools to inspire the next generation of double reed players.

Dr. Bierhaus received her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder, her Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College, where she graduated with Honors in Music Performance and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society. While at Carleton she traveled to Dresden, Germany for a study abroad program and enrolled at the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik. Her major teachers have included Cynthia Watson, Laura Griffiths, Merilee Klemp, Andreas Lorenz, Richard Killmer, and Peter Cooper.

Degree(s)

  • DMA, oboe performance, University of Colorado, 2009
  • MM, Oboe performance and pedagogy, Eastman School of Music, 2004
  • BA, music, Carleton College, 2002