{{short description|Japanese-American orchestral conductor}} {{use mdy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Sarah Hicks | image = Sarah Hicks Maryland 2025.jpg | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = Hicks in 2025 | birth_name = Sarah Hatsuko Hicks | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|33|2006|10|15}} | birth_place = Tokyo, Japan | death_date = | death_place = | education = {{ubl|Harvard University (AB)|Curtis Institute of Music (AD)}} | occupation = Orchestral conductor | years_active = | known_for = | spouse = Paul LaFollette }} '''Sarah Hatsuko Hicks''' (born {{birth based on age as of date|12|1983|4|24|noage=yes}})<ref name="star">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Kay |date=2006-10-15 |title=Maestro of Hip |page=E1 |work=The Star Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/250116104/ |access-date=2025-12-03 |quote=Hicks, 33...Born: Tokyo...}}</ref> is an American orchestral conductor. Since 2009, she has been the Principal Conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall for the Minnesota Orchestra, and also serves as Staff Conductor at the Curtis Institute of Music.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.curtis.edu/faculty/faculty-bios-by-name/sarah-hicks.html |website=Curtis Institute of Music |title=Sarah Hicks: Staff Conductor |accessdate=2013-06-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611062440/http://www.curtis.edu/faculty/faculty-bios-by-name/sarah-hicks.html |archivedate=2013-06-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/about/who-we-are/musicians-soloists-conductors/artistic-roster/682-sarah-hicks|title=Minnesota Orchestra - Sarah Hicks|website=www.minnesotaorchestra.org|access-date=2019-03-21}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Gehrke|first=Karl|date=7 November 2006|title=Hicks makes history at the Minnesota Orchestra|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2006/11/07/sarahhicks|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=28 January 2021|website=MPR News}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Hicks was born in Tokyo. Her father Richard was an American lawyer and her mother Kazuko was a classical Japanese dancer.<ref name="star" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Kendrick |first=Stephanie |date=2000-07-06 |title=Exotic Cereus Inspired 'Gekkabijin' Dance |page=C1 |work=The Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref> She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she learned violin and piano, graduating from the Punahou School in 1989.<ref>{{cite news |last=Verploegen |first=Hildegaard |date=1989-04-26 |title=Punahou Orchestra Gets Carnegie Hall Invitation |page=A3 |work=The Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref> In 1993, Hicks graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an Bachelor of Arts degree in music,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://music.fas.harvard.edu/harvard-college-alumni.shtml |title=Harvard College Alumni Archive: AB Recipients and Theses |website=Harvard University Department of Music |publisher=Harvard University |access-date=2022-05-06}}</ref> winning the Thomas Hoopes Prize for undergraduate theses and the Doris Cohen Levy Prize for conducting. She then studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, winning a Presser Award and graduating with an Artist's Degree in conducting.<ref name="bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.sarahhicksconductor.com/bio/ |title=Bio - Sarah Hicks, Conductor |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Sarah Hicks |access-date=2022-05-07}}</ref>
==Career== Hicks previously served as Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=September 2009|title=Sarah Hicks Appointed North Carolina Symphony Associate Conductor|url=https://triangleartsandentertainment.org/2009/09/sarah-hicks-appointed-north-carolina-symphony-associate-conductor/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=28 January 2021|website=Triangle Arts & Entertainment}}</ref> Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra,<ref name=":0" /> Resident Conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, and Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Singers, the chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra. After graduating from Curtis, she was for one season assistant conductor to the Verbier Festival Orchestra, training with James Levine.
As a guest conductor, Hicks has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Pops, Atlanta Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Orchestra of Teatro La Fenice, the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.<ref name="bio" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bio {{!}} Sarah Hicks, Conductor |url=https://www.sarahhicksconductor.com/bio |access-date=2023-03-19 |website=Sarah Hicks, Conduct |language=en}}</ref>
She has collaborated with many artists including Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Rufus Wainwright, Jaime Laredo, Hilary Hahn, Ben Folds, Smokey Robinson, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Sting, for whom she served as conductor on the final leg of his Symphonicities Tour. In June 2012 she conducted the opening concert of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, in a program featuring Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sumi Jo and Jackie Evancho. She has conducted some famous film music scores with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, including a concert of masterpieces by Italian composer Ennio Morricone and his ''Dollars Trilogy'', as well as works by Nino Rota. This concert was released in 2018 as an album and has been broadcast worldwide. Her other recordings include "Chime" with rap artist Dessa, as well as an album of new concertos, "Triple Doubles".<ref name="Sarah Hicks – AMP WORLDWIDE">{{Cite web |title=Sarah Hicks – AMP WORLDWIDE |url=https://amp-worldwide.com/artist/sarah-hicks/ |access-date=2023-03-19 |language=en-US}}</ref>
Hicks is a specialist in the live to film genre and since 2019 has been a consultant for Disney Concerts. Her film concerts can be found on Disney+. She has also worked on an Intel gaming project with gamer DrLupo.<ref name="Sarah Hicks – AMP WORLDWIDE"/>
==Personal life== Hicks lives in San Francisco with her husband, horn player Paul LaFollette, whom she met while studying at the Curtis Institute of Music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-orchestra-s-sarah-hicks-talks-pop-stars-and-onstage-metoo-moments/478205983/ |title=Minnesota Orchestra's Sarah Hicks talks pop stars and onstage #MeToo moments |last=Chin |first=Richard |date=2018-03-18 |website=The Star Tribune |access-date=2022-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2020/10/conductor-sarah-hicks-i-cant-wave-to-silence-or-to-an-empty-room/ |title=Conductor Sarah Hicks: 'I can't wave to silence, or to an empty room' |last=Espeland |first=Pamela |date=2020-10-02 |website=MinnPost |access-date=2022-05-07}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Sarah}} Category:1970s births Category:Living people Category:Japanese women conductors (music) Category:21st-century Japanese conductors (music) Category:American women conductors (music) Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Curtis Institute of Music alumni Category:Musicians from Honolulu Category:Classical musicians from Hawaii Category:Musicians from Tokyo Category:21st-century American conductors (music) Category:Year of birth missing (living people)