Sarah Smongeski

Sarah Smongeski’s earliest musical studies began at the age of 7 as a recorder student in Sussex, England. At age 8, she first saw a flute (displayed by an older student) and thought:  I want to play that!

Sarah began playing the flute at the age of 12, two years after immigrating to the US with her family. Several dedicated music teachers (on Boston’s South Shore) made sure Sarah could take flute lessons, knowing that family funds and transportation were in short supply as is often the case for so many immigrant families.  Sarah was the second of any family member (near and far) to earn a college degree; her sister was the first.

As a college student, Sarah studied with Boston-based Virginia Sindelar (a graduate of the Julliard School and student of Julius Baker). She pursued additional flute studies with Christopher Hyde Smith (of the Royal College of Music, London), with Lois Schaffer (of the Boston Symphony Orchestra); also with Julius Baker as a participant in the Bowdoin College, now International, Summer Music Festival.

During her early career, Sarah played with the Plymouth Philharmonic, Quincy Symphony and Northeastern University orchestras.  She soloed regularly at roughly 15 different churches on the South Shore, in the Worcester area, and also at Park Street Church and Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

Sarah holds a Certificate of Special Studies (C.S.S.) in Administration and Management from Harvard University, Extension School, and a B.A. in Music (Summa Cum Laude) from Eastern Nazarene College located in Quincy, MA.  She served as Executive Director of Pakachoag Music School from 1982 to 2023, where she continues to teach the flute.