Sarah O’Flynn pursues a demanding and varied career as performer and educator. She is sub principal flute with Britten Sinfonia and a founding member of the chamber ensmeble Chroma. As a freelancer she works with numerous symphony and chamber orchestras performing and recording in concert halls across the world. Sarah’s work with Britten Sinfonia is rich and diverse, ranging from an unconducted Bach St John Passion to BBC Proms with Rufus Wainwright, Anoushka Shankar, and the Strictly Come Dancing Prom.

 As an advocate of contemporary music Sarah has premiered innumerable new works and commissions, often working in close collaboration with the composer. She has particularly enjoyed ongoing projects with Tom Ades, Oliver Knussen, James Macmillan and Steve Reich, and has also workshopped hundreds of student compositions with Chroma as Ensemble-in-Residence at Royal Holloway University, Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music. In 2019 she was the flute soloist for a Signum Classics release of Michael Finnissy’s Pious Anthems and Voluntaries. During 2023 she commissioned and premiered two new chamber works from Freya Waley-Cohen and Natalie Klouda.

 For many years, Sarah was a member of The Marais Ensemble who curated an extensive annual chamber music festival in Potton - Bedfordshire, including a broad outreach programme. A festival highlight was performing Reich’s Clapping Music in full Scooby Doo costume! In 2022 she launched Red Kite Concerts with Christian Forshaw: a bimonthly series of intimate concerts in beautiful spaces. During 2023/24 Sarah curated and toured Uncharted Territory, a trio recital programme reflecting themes of nature, landscape and birdsong with Clare O’Connell and Roderick Chadwick.

 Sarah strongly believes in the health-giving properties of music-making. She taught for many years at Goldsmiths College and is heavily involved in diverse outreach projects: schools’ projects; community music-making for those living with dementia; concerts in hospitals; workshops in SEND settings and Britten Sinfonia Academy. She has recently co-authored a book chapter: The Role of Music in Health and Wellbeing Journeys with Claire Molyneux, due for publication by Routledge in early 2025.

 She studied at the Royal College of Music where she was awarded a postgraduate scholarship.