Bio
“She's not just young fleet fingers; she has a real feel for the dynamics and drama, AND the history that make it make sense as music. She presented herself, and more importantly, the MUSIC really well at her show. I'm not really crazy about young people who can play a bunch of licks, but I'm terrifically impressed when someone knows so much music.”
-------Review of Sarah’s performance at Northwest Folklife 2008, by Chico Schwall
Sarah began fiddling in the summer of 1999 and has come a long way since then.
Joining the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (WOTFA) brought her to into contact with inspirational old time players with powerful rhythmic drive and personal style, like Gil Kiesecker and Carthy Sisco. A few years later when her father, Emmett Comer, decided to pick up the guitar again, they met Jim Ketterman who would teach them about the wild and wonderful music of his home state of West Virginia. In 2001 she began studying with Stuart Williams whose innovative and inspirational teaching brought Sarah's music to a whole new level of performance and understanding. Stuart continues to be a major influence in her playing (and teaching), along with Phil and Vivian Williams.
Since then she and Emmett have played in fiddle shows and folk festivals across the state, including performances at Northwest Folklife Festival and Benaroya Hall, and in 2005 and '06 they composed and recorded music for two short films entered in the Tacoma 72 Hour Film Fest, and for Terese Cuff's original short film The Pool. In 2008 Sarah was featured at Northwest Folklife on both the Fiddler's Showcase concert and in Raisin' a Ruckus: A Showcase of New Old Time Bands. Sarah has also provided music for countless historical re-enactments for Fort Nisqually and Fort Steilacoom living history museums, as well as the Ezra Meeker Historical Society and the 2008 Tall Ships Festival.
Most recently, Sarah became a Certified Champion Old Time Fiddler after taking first at the Washington State Fiddlers' Contest in the Young Adult division, and is proud to have done so playing the old time dance music she grew up with.
Sarah's love of fiddle music and drive to preserve the old time tradition lead her to teaching, and she now teaches private lessons and group fiddle class at Pierce College and Dusty Strings Music School, and at WOTFA's week-long summer workshop.
Though still primarily Old Time players, Sarah and Emmett are also students of Irish music and try to get out to a session now and then. Sarah also plays in the contradance band Swing Shift with her father and pianist Karen Haas.