Dr Sarah K Watts
School of Languages, Arts and Societies
Senior University Teacher in Performance
UK Representative for the International Clarinet Association
Director of Performance, Music
Director of MA in Music Performance Studies, Music
Full contact details
School of Languages, Arts and Societies
Jessop Building
Leavygreave Road
Sheffield
S3 7RD
- Profile
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I studied clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and bass clarinet at Rotterdam Conservatorium, Holland. My studies in Rotterdam were funded by a Leverhulme Trust Studentship, and I was also awarded the Exxon prize for the best classical music student.
Successes include: Winner, UK Howarth Clarinet Competition 2000; Winner, Hawkes Clarinet Prize (RAM) 2001; Winner of wind section, UK Performing Australian Music competition, 2001; Finalist, Wind section, Royal Overseas League Competition 2000.
I specialise in low clarinets and have gained an international reputation as an artist, teacher and researcher. I have performed and taken masterclasses at universities and conservatoires in the UK, Ireland, Asia, Europe and the Americas and attracted composers including Sir Harrison Birtwistle, George Nicholson, Piers Hellawell and William Sweeney to write works for me.
I perform with several chamber music ensembles including Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble (Belfast), rarescale and SCAW.
My PhD researched bass clarinet multiphonics and I have published a leading resource and set of etudes on this subject.
I am Henri Selmer Paris Clarinet artist, a Vandoren Paris artist, and a Silverstein Ligature artist.
In 2016, I was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), London
- Research interests
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My current research looks at:
- Composing works for clarinet and bass clarinet that feature my multiphonic research, and that uses graphic score notation.
- Using extended techniques as a teaching aid and looking at how contemporary techniques are taught and the benefit they have to improving control and over all sound production and control of all clarinets.
- Composing works that use space and acoustics as inspiration for composition. Recent and current commissions include writing for Canada House (Sheffield), and the Ratcliffe on Soar Cooling Towers.
- The Eric Dolphy influence on the development of the solo bass clarinet.
- Increasing repertoire for low clarinets by marginalised composers.
- Publications
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Books
- Spectral Immersions A Comprehensive Guide to the Theory and Practice of Bass Clarinet Multiphonics.
Compositions
- Multiphonic Miniatures for Bass Clarinet.
- Dracula Bite Size.
Other
- Dolphy Fused.
- Ten Devon Pints.
- Spectral Immersions A Comprehensive Guide to the Theory and Practice of Bass Clarinet Multiphonics.
- Research group
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I am currently supervising a PhD looking at composer-performer collaboration for contrabass clarinet.
- Grants
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Recent Grants include:
KE/HEIF: Commissioning a work for contrabass clarinet by Ailís Ní Ríain to highlight misogyny and discrimination in the music industry. (2024)
Festival of the Mind (UoS): Sonic Imprints – writing a new work for Canada House/Harmony works based on the acoustic possibilities of the building.
Arts Council England: Developing Your Creative Practice Award to write Multiphonic Miniatures (2022)
Festival of the Mind (UoS): Feed the Beast – a live performance of music and film that showcased climate change and animal extinction. (2020)
- Professional activities and memberships
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I perform extensively in the UK and abroad. Recent performances have included performances at the annual International Clarinet Association Clarinetfests including Orlando, Florida (2017), Oostend, Belgium (2018), Knoxville (2019), Reno (2022), Denver (2023) and I was an Artistic Director for Dublin, Ireland (2024).
I have been on the committee and a headliner performer at the 2023 and 2025 Low Clarinet Festivals in Glendale, Arizona, and was a featured artist at the inaugural American Single Reed Summit at Trueman State University in October 2018.
In 2023, I was a guest artist and teacher at Lunenburg Academy (LAMP), Canada and at the Degu Festival, of Electronic Music Festival in South Korea, and in March 2025 was a guest artist at Mexico Clarinet Festival in Mexico City.
