Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith

Associate Conductor

A passionate advocate for music as a force for change, Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of River City Voices, and the Associate Conductor of Willoughby Symphony Orchestra.

Sarah made her international debut at The Dallas Opera in 2018 through the Hart Institute for Women Conductors. She has conducted a number of operas with Sydney companies, as well as many Sydney orchestras. She also works extensively with choirs, including previous positions with Macquarie Singers, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir, and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Sarah was one of The Cad Factory’s inaugural CASE Incubator residents, a program for contemporary artists with a socially engaged practice, later joining projects in the regional communities of Pinnaroo, South Australia, and Narrandera, New South Wales.

Sarah and her wife Melanie Penicka-Smith are the founders of Penicka-Smith Arts & Event Management, running socially-engaged music projects including Pacific Pride Choir, a touring choir visiting regions where LGBTQIA+ rights are less accepted, and the Lifehouse Volunteer Orchestra, performing at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. They co-created and produced OCDiva, Dr Eve Klein’s one-woman opera for mezzosoprano and OCD advocate Yasmin Arkinstall.

In 2025, Sarah travelled to the USA and Europe after being awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research socially-engaged orchestral models, and directed the 71st Australian Intervarsity Choral Festival, held in Sydney.