Visiting Instructor of Harp
skcrocke@sewanee.edu
Harpist, musicologist, and small business owner Dr. Sarah K. Crocker can be seen performing,
teaching, and lecturing across the United States and abroad. In addition to her position as
Visiting Professor of Harp at Sewanee, Dr. Crocker serves as Adjunct Professor of Harp at
Belmont University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Lipscomb University and is the
Owner and Founder of Hillnote Music and the Hillnote Harp Academy in Franklin, TN. Previous
teaching positions include Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology at Kentucky Institute
for International Studies (Buenos Aires, Argentina), TN Governor’s School for the Arts harp
faculty, and Instructor of Ethnomusicology and Secondary Harp at The University of Alabama.
Sarah has served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the American Harp
Society, Inc. as the Regional Director Coordinator and Southern Regional Director, on the
Editorial Board of The American Harp Journal, and as the President (2014-2019), Vice President
and Webmaster (2019-present) of the Nashville Chapter of the American Harp Society.
Dr. Crocker is principal harp of the Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra (2013-present) and
the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (2006-present), where she made her debut as a
soloist performing Debussy’s Danses. She was recently featured as a soloist on
Ravel's Introduction and Allegro with the faculty of the TN Governor’s School for the Arts.
Crocker also performs regularly as substitute principal harp with many orchestras and wind
ensembles across the Southeast, including the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra
Kentucky, Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Albany
Symphony Orchestra (GA), Nashville Wind Ensemble, and she was principal harp of the
Meridian Symphony Orchestra (MS) from 2005-2013 until moving to TN. Sarah is also in
demand as harpist for numerous regional wind ensembles and concert bands, choirs, churches,
and performs and coordinates customized music for events as the Owner of Hillnote Weddings &
Events.
Having a love for chamber music, Crocker regularly performs with a variety of musicians and
choirs across Middle Tennessee and beyond. Sarah collaborates often as a flute and harp duo,
having given recitals and specially curated multi-media concerts at many universities, churches,
weddings, and concert venues. While attending the University of Alabama, Crocker founded
the Druid City Ensemble with flutist Dr. Whitney O'Neal and soprano Dr. Dawn Neely. Hailed as
"truly inspiring," the ensemble was honored to appear as featured performers at venues and
music festivals across the United States from 2010-2020 and commissioned and premiered seven
new works for soprano, flute, and harp. In addition to teaching and performing, Dr. Crocker sells,
rents, and services pedal and lever harps through Hillnote Harps and has a passion for teaching
and researching both harp and musicology. Sarah has presented lecture-recitals about her
research on harpist-composers Henriette Renié, Alphonse Hasselmans, and Pierre Jamet across
the country.
Dr. Crocker holds a B.M., M.M., and D.M.A. in Harp Performance with Musicology cognate
from the University of Alabama. She studied harp with Judith Sullivan-Hicks, Mary Brigid
Roman, Katie Buckley, Judy Loman, and Carol McClure. When she is not performing or
teaching, Sarah enjoys cooking, gardening, reading and being with her family and dogs, Pippy
and Dash.
