Sarah Neely

Biography

Sarah Neely was born into a military family who settled in El Paso, Texas. Her passion for music was sparked when she broke her femur in the fifth grade and received private violin lessons from her orchestra teacher while her fellow students were in P.E. In high school, Sarah discovered a love of voice and opera. She was a member of the All-region choir and Orchestra for several years and sang with the El Paso Conservatory’s Young Ladies Choir, performing in both Italy and Canada. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from West Texas A&M University, where she studied under Dr. Christopher Meerdink. Sarah cultivated a love of Czech language and culture during a semester abroad studying in Prague, Czechia. There, she studied voice with well-known Czech soprano, Alice Randová. Sarah has been a soloist at First Presbyterian Church, Amarillo; Trinity Baptist Church, San Antonio and St. John Lutheran Church in Boerne, TX. She has performed with Amarillo Opera, The Redwoods Opera Workshop, and The Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. In the Summer of 2018, she performed in the Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy Opera Audition Training Program in Sankt Goar, Germany, where she was able to work with casting directors from professional opera companies across Europe. She has recently been seen on stage in El Paso as Gynecia in Head Over Heels, Helen in Fun Home, and Annette in God of Carnage. Sarah graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, where she studied under Dr. Diana Allan and world-renowned pedagogue, Mr. John Nix. Sarah taught voice at The San Antonio Music Academy, where she worked with students of a variety of age from 8 to 50. After returning home to El Paso, she founded her own private voice studio performing as a Resident Artist with El Paso Opera. Sarah has been teaching at NMSU as an adjunct professor for three years and is excited to be joining the faculty as a visiting professor for the 2022-23 school year.