From stage to startup: Sarah Whitney’s residency connects creativity and career building

Sarah Whitney speaks to Dr. Jonathan McNair’s composition class. Photo by Angela Foster.

Violinist Sarah Whitney is not a stranger to college campuses, but during her visit to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she added a new experience: coaching business students.

During her three-day residency—hosted through a partnership with Dr. Jonathan McNair, the Ruth S. Holmberg Professor of American Music at UTC—the internationally recognized performer, educator and career coach guided students through workshops, classes and performances designed to reshape their thinking about creative careers.

“I had a wonderful week. It was really such a pleasure to be there, and I think truly—I mean this from the bottom of my heart—everybody I met was so warm and welcoming, the colleagues, the students, everybody,” Whitney said.

Unlike her typical residencies, Whitney’s visit to UTC gave her the chance to work with students outside the Department of Music. She visited a composition class and an entrepreneurship course, guided rehearsals with UTC Chamber Strings Ensemble and an open house at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).

She capped off her visit with a music seminar and a public concert in Cadek Hall, which featured a blend of classical compositions and pop-inspired arrangements using a loop pedal.

“It was fascinating to hear the questions from non-musicians to hear what they picked up, what they were curious about,” she said. “That was really fun for me and I would love more opportunities like that.”

CIE Director Mike Bradshaw said Whitney’s visit was inspiring for both him and the students.

“It was fabulous,” Bradshaw said. “Often, really great things happen to you when you’re sitting in my seat. You get to meet some cool people and nice things happen. That was one of them for sure.

“For me, not being a musically adept person, when I see somebody that can do what she can do and still walk around as a regular person does, it amazes me. It really gives me faith in something that is beautiful and utterly positive.”

Bradshaw added that Whitney’s ability to apply artistic creativity to building a business offered an important lesson for students.

“You design a business the same way you design your art piece,” he said. “You’re doing totally different things, but they’re both creative exercises. They’re both bringing something that did not exist into being creative.”

Throughout her workshops, Whitney emphasized networking, self-advocacy and practical strategies for building fulfilling creative careers.

“I spend a lot of time thinking about entrepreneurship, and obviously I’m a musician—I could go on and on about how it works in the music world,” Whitney said. “But it really got me thinking about what are the parallels that aren’t industry-specific or music-specific. It was really fascinating.”

McNair described Whitney’s presentations as “entertaining and informative.”

“There were several music students who attended multiple sessions with her because they were hearing messages that hold a lot of value for them,” McNair said.

“Working with faculty colleagues in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was a joy for me,” he added. “They were very happy with Sarah’s presentations and how she fielded so many questions from attendees at the open house.”

Whitney’s career spans performances worldwide with artists such as Adele, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Jeff Beck. As a former member of the crossover quintet Sybarite5, she’s recorded multiple albums and led workshops at institutions including the Juilliard School, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. She now teaches at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Through her coaching, Whitney wants to help musicians overcome self-doubt and shape their careers.

“Whether you’re a student, whether you’ve been out of school for three years or 30 years, there are so many similarities when it comes to challenges that we encounter,” she said. “It’s interesting to see what the common threads are throughout a musician’s career.

“My goal is to meet people exactly where they are and help them connect the dots.”