Conductor of Philharmonic Orchestra
Sarah Gifford is a Rochester native and SEMYO’s Philharmonic Orchestra conductor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a K-12 Music Education minor from Luther College, and a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. During her undergraduate and graduate education, she had several opportunities to perform internationally in Austria, Brazil, Japan, and Italy. Sarah previously served as a 5-12 band director in Breckenridge, MN, where she also taught piano lessons and figure skating lessons.
Sarah currently works full-time at Mayo Clinic in research, plays 2nd clarinet with the LaCrosse Symphony Orchestra, and coaches multiple SEMYO chamber ensembles. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her cat, Tigger, sewing, playing video games with her husband, and doing home improvement projects.
