College of Performing Arts Faculty

Profile

Sarah Elizabeth Charles is a vocalist/composer/teaching artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She has worked and studied with artists such as Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, George Cables, Geri Allen and Sheila Jordan and has released four critically acclaimed albums with her band, SCOPE between 2012 and today. As the active vocalist in a number of bands (including SCOPE, Ajoyo, duo with Jarrett Cherner, Jesse Fischer and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah). Charles has performed at many venues throughout her career. These have included The White House, Carnegie Hall, the first annual Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi, The Kennedy Center, the Rose Theatre with Jazz at Lincoln Center and many more. She has also had a commissioned composition performed at The National Gallery in Washington D.C. via The Canales Project "Hear Her Song" initiative.    

In addition to her performance work, Charles is an active educator as well. She works as a lead teaching artist with Carnegie Hall’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility Musical Connections workshop, has a private lessons studio in New York City, is an adjunct professor at The New School for Jazz/College of Performing Arts, co-teaching an undergraduate course called "Jazz and Gender” and a graduate course called "New Narratives" with Dr. Caroline Davis, has developed an early childhood music education program with Rise2Shine, a non-profit organization based in Fond Parisien, Haiti and is the newest member of the performance/teaching artist community ensemble, Decoda. In 2019, she was one of five recipients of the Yale School of Music's Distinguished Teaching Artist Award. In 2020, she was selected to be one of five members of the Joe's Pub Working Group, was a recipient of the New York City Women's Fund grant in support of her band's fourth album, released in 2021 and was a recipient of Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works grant. Since 2021, she has been an active member of the This Is A Movement initiative working toward creating more equitable spaces and connecting various individuals, organizations and activists working to do the same.    

Charles' musical output has been described as a “genre of one” (DownBeat Magazine), “soulfully articulate” (NY Times) and “an unmatched sound” (Jay Z’s Life+Times). Her critically acclaimed sophomore project, “Inner Dialogue”, released in 2015 on Truth Revolution Records, features her band along with co-producer/special guest Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. Her third album, "Free of Form" was released on Stretch Music/Ropeadope and features SCOPE as well as Adjuah as co-producer/special guest. Charles has recently released her band's fourth album, "Blank Canvas", via Stretch/Ropeadope,  is finishing her fifth album, "Dawn", with the support of funding from Chamber Music America and is embarking upon the expansion of her "Liberating the Bird" project through which she has composed music to Maya Angelou's poetry with the blessing of her estate. One can only look to the future for more unique and boundary pushing music from this one of a kind artist.