Sarah Wager

Sarah Wager is a double bassist who currently holds a one-year position with the Phoenix Symphony as Acting Assistant Principal Bass. She has appeared with the San Diego Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and in the fall of 2023, won the position of Associate Principal Bass for the Hawai’i Symphony. Sarah has performed with Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, and Lucerne Contemporary Music Festival, which she attended for three summers. Most recently, Sarah completed a four-state tour with Los Angeles-based chamber group Delirium Musicum.

Sarah began her musical journey taking piano lessons at age 7, and later began studying the double bass after she was introduced to the instrument in public school at age 10. As a young bassist, she attended Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and went on tour with the National Youth Orchestra of the USA on their South America tour with Marin Alsop in 2017. She placed 2nd in the Fredonia Bass Fest Solo Competition, won the concerto competition of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, placed 1st in the Rochester Philharmonic League Young Artist Award’s String Division, and was the recipient of the League’s Special Award, for which she had the opportunity to perform a solo with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sarah received her BM from Boston University under the tutelage of Boston Symphony Principal bassist Edwin Barker, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2021. During her undergraduate studies, Sarah played with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, where she was co-principal for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. She also appeared with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Brookline Symphony Orchestra. She attended Domaine Forget for two summers; after her second summer, she was invited to write an article for the International Society of Bassists magazine about her time as a student there.

Following her undergraduate studies, Sarah attended the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist and renowned pedagogue David Moore. She received her MM degree in 2023.

Sarah is passionate about equity for bass players of all genders. Alongside her role in the Phoenix Symphony, she served as the Mentorship Program Co-Director for the inaugural year of the Artemis Bass Initiative, a non-profit created to advance the opportunities for female and non-binary bass players, who are historically underrepresented in symphony orchestras.