A Churchill Fellow, Sarah-Grace Williams is the Founding Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of The Metropolitan Orchestra (TMO) and Principal Conductor for both ‘Synthony’ and ‘Stardew Valley: A Festival of Seasons’ Australian and New Zealand Tours. Boasting an impressive conducting career, she has also conducted the Queensland, Adelaide, Melbourne, West Australian, Tasmanian and Perth Symphony Orchestras, Auckland Philharmonia, Brisbane Camerata, Bangalow Festival Orchestra, Queensland Music Festival Orchestra, Southern Cross Orchestra, and the Synthony Orchestra amongst others. Additionally, Sarah-Grace has held positions as Musical Director of the Sydney Opera House Proms, Artistic Director of Aspire International Music Festival, Stager Conductor at Ukraine National Opera & Ballet Theatre and Conducting Fellow at Australian Ballet. Recently, she was Music Director /Conductor for Sydney Opera House’s production of Amadeus, starring Michael Sheen.
Since founding TMO in 2009, Sarah-Grace has received much acclaim and admiration for her accomplishments with the orchestra and has conducted them in more than 550 concerts, album recordings and national and international tours. Under Sarah-Grace’s direction, TMO has become recognised as one of Australia’s most versatile orchestras, with their annual seasons including a variety of events tailored to different demographics, from their highly acclaimed and regularly sold-out Met, Chamber and Cushion Concert series to outreach concerts for newly arrived refugees and free events for the community. Sarah-Grace also led the establishment of TMO Junior and TMO’s Young Artist, Conductor and Composer Development Programs. She has also championed the commissioning of numerous new works.
Sarah-Grace performs across a variety of concert genres including mainstage symphonic concerts, concerts with film, ballet, opera, cross-over performances with contemporary artists, multi-media installations, stadium events and album recordings. In addition to her regular conducting commitments in TMO’s annual season, Sarah-Grace has conducted the Australian and New Zealand concert tours of Basement Jaxx and Air Supply, plus the Live film concerts Jurassic Park, Love Actually and the Muppets Xmas Carol. She has also collaborated with a formidable list of renowned artists such as José Carreras, Sir Bryn Terfel, Jack Liebeck, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Sir Dave Dobbin, John Butler, Lisa Gasteen, Anthony Warlow, James Morrison, Katie Noonan, Deborah Conway, Kate Ceberano, David Helfgott, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John.
Sarah-Grace has received constant recognition for her significant achievements including being awarded the 2017 Western Sydney University Alumni Chancellors Leadership Award (the highest honour the awards bestow), was announced on the 2013 International Women’s Day Honour Roll for her outstanding achievements and contribution to the community, and hailed by Limelight Magazine to be amongst ‘10 of the Best Women Conductors in the world – trailblazing talent leading the way’.
Listed in the Who’s Who of Australian Women since 2011, Sarah-Grace received her Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours in 1998, before continuing conducting studies in Russia. She feels privileged to have had Alexander Polishchuk (Russia) and Johannes Fritzsch (Australia) as her primary conducting mentors.
Her proudest achievement to date is the birth of her daughter Scarlett Grace in 2014, with her husband and TMO Managing Director, Bevan Rigato.
