Sarah Melnick née Van Sciver (she/her/hers) is an artist and educator proud to empower fellow CalArtians to bolster and balance creative careers making art, making a living, and making a difference. She holds a Performer-Composer MFA from CalArts, a General Music Studies Professional Certificate from Berklee, and a Music BA from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to running her own music-arts business, Sarah has worked with arts, culture, and education organizations including AmeriCorps, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, Cotuit Center for the Arts, Studio Crash, Stimulus Children’s Theater, Platt Performing Arts House, and Sholem, as well as studios, galleries, schools, and community programs spotlighting performing, visual, digital, immersive, and literary arts. Sarah writes, arranges, records, and produces scores, songs, sound, projection designs, and video for film/TV, theatre, dance,concert, opera, and studio album productions. Recent credits include premiering her opera (libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle) Girondines in concert with Wilmington Concert Opera and on stage with Mission Opera. Sarah also is a graphic design, marketing, advertising, communications, and fundraising creator and strategist for many artists and non-profits. She performs as a vocalist, pianist, harpist, ukulele player, and conductor/music director and mentors aspiring, emerging, and established artists.
At CalArts, Sarah has had the pleasure of serving the Institute in the past as a CAP (Community Arts Partnership) instructor, Herb Alpert School of Music TA and instructor, Alumni & Family Engagement Assistant Director, and Admissions Assistant Director representing our Herb Alpert School of Music.
With the CalArts Patty Disney Center for Life & Work, Sarah helps students and alumni prepare resumes, CVs, cover letters, websites, artist statements, artist bios, essays, applications, pitches, proposals, and portfolios. She also advises CalArtians on interview strategy and compensation negotiation, entrepreneurial projects, branding, marketing and communications, professional development, and provides assistance with pursuing jobs, gigs, tours, fundraising, internships, auditions, residencies, apprenticeships, fellowships, festivals, grants, scholarships, and more.
