sari o’bryan
co-director, Elementary GT Orchestra

Sari O’Bryan is the Director of Orchestras at Burleigh Manor Middle School in Howard County.  She has taught there for 11 years and was also the Director of Orchestras at Centennial Lane Elementary School and Clarksville Elementary School.  Mrs. O’Bryan has guest conducted numerous All-County Orchestras  and has adjudicated many Orchestra Assessments in the Maryland and Virginia Public Schools.

Mrs. O’Bryan is primarily a violinist.  She started lessons at age 5 thanks to Grover and Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street.  She studied Orchestral Strings at Loyola University New Orleans and graduated with a Bachelor of Music.  She also has a Masters of Music from Boston University in Music Education.  

She lives in Columbia with her husband Colin, who is the Director of Orchestras at Reservoir High School and Co-Director of the Howard County Youth Orchestra, her son Eamonn who is a trumpet player and daughter Fiona who studies voice and musical theater.  She also has three cats, Chuck, Zoey, and Frank, and a bearded dragon named Maurice.

sarah lahan
c0-director, Elementary GT Orchestra

Mrs. Sarah Lahan currently directs the orchestra programs at Swansfield Elementary School and Manor Woods Elementary School. She is privileged to share her love of music and expertise in string technique with over 380 students in these two thriving programs. She holds Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Violin Performance and a Master of Music degree in Performance from the University of Maryland where she studied with Gerald Fischbach and James Stern. Prior to becoming a string specialist in Howard County Public Schools in 2017, Mrs. Lahan taught middle and high school orchestra in Oklahoma and taught violin lessons in private schools around the DC metropolitan area with the Music Kids program. 

Mrs. Lahan maintains a private studio in Catonsville with her husband, pianist Dr. Patrick Lahan. Her students perform frequently, are consistently selected by audition for regional honors orchestras, and participate in the ASTA Certificate Advancement Program. Mrs. Lahan is an active member of the MD/DC chapter of the American String Teachers Association.

Mrs. Lahan's favorite experiences as a performer have included attending the National Orchestral Institute, performing a solo in Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, and performing a fully memorized and choreographed interpretation of Copland's Appalachian Spring with the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra. 

Mrs. Lahan lives in Catonsville with her husband, twin daughters Mary and Anna, and dog Henry. She enjoys cooking, exploring different cities with her family, visiting art museums, and going to concerts.