Sarah Melnick (née Van Sciver) is a multimedia artist and educator. A vocalist, pianist, harpist, ukulele player, technical director, conductor/music director, songwriter, and composer-performer, she writes, arranges, records, and produces music, sound, images, videos, and projection designs for concert, opera, film/TV, theatre, and studio album productions. Selected credits include crafting score, songs, and sound for the film Strange as Angels (Born Lucky Studios;) composing music for stage plays The Magnus Effect and Fifty Days at Iliam (Greenfield Collective) and for operas Shadow House (Philadelphia Opera Collective) and RUBBISH (CalArts New Works Festival;) releasing original music albums Ophelia’s Song, Overture to an Adventure, and Puzzle Pieces; and premiering Girondines, an opera with libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle for which Sarah composed all music and designed all sound and projection elements, premiered in-concert with Wilmington Concert Opera in 2022 and fully-staged with Mission Opera in 2023. Proudly mentoring aspiring, emerging, and established artists. Sarah empowers fellow creatives to bolster and balance making art, making a living, and making a difference. In her role on the California Institute of the Arts Patty Disney Center for Life & Work team, Sarah produces the Institute’s Career Fair, manages the internship-for-academic-credit program, and facilitates dozens of field trips, guest lectures, and workshops as well as hundreds of 1:1 advising sessions each year. Sarah helps CalArtians build strategies, skills, portfolios, connections, and community to explore and enhance career outcomes in performing, visual, digital, immersive, and literary arts. Sarah holds a Performer-Composer MFA from CalArts, a Professional Certificate from Berklee, and a Music BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job+ Search Strategies for Artists
Session Description:A career in the arts can take many forms; and more often than not, artists experience that the juggle is real. Building a sustainable creative practice requires more than searching traditional job boards. This presentation offers practical tools and proven approaches for finding and securing a wide range of not only jobs, but also internships, apprenticeships, residencies, grants, funding, and freelance opportunities. Learn how to uncover hidden roles, build authentic connections as you network, tailor application materials, and make the most of outreach, online platforms, and industry resources. Whether you’re launching, pivoting, expanding, or simply exploring your career, you’ll leave with actionable strategies and resources to navigate the evolving arts economy with greater confidence, clarity, and purpose.