Founder of the school, original member of the Turtle Island String Quartet,  and founder of the Real Vocal String Quartet (rvsq.com), has been educating musicians, young and old, for over 25 years.  

Sazer's strong classical training, her deep experience in a vast array of musical styles, and her talent as a dynamic caring educator, informs the direction of the school and the staff.
Compassion, joy, and discovery, as well as a strong technical foundation are the keys to the exceptional training at the Berkeley School of Strings and String Improvisation.  


Teaching Experience
Private teaching of violin, viola, piano, voice, composition, percussion and guitar since 1981

Running music improvisation workshops since 1993 for:
My studio and school
California Chapter of American String Teacher’s Association (several workshops over many years)  in the Bay Area, Santa Barbara, and Fresno
Music at Kohl Mansion with the Del Sol String Quartet
QuartetFest in San Francisco
Contra Costa Suzuki Strings
Sacramento Suzuki Strings
Ashby House in Berkeley
Music and Arts Camp Connecticut

Teacher trainer for improvisation workshops
Member, educator and presenter of AIM (Adventures In Music), the educational wing of the San Francisco Symphony for all elementary school children in San Francisco
2000-2001
2002-2003
Composer and presenter of a collaboration with children’s book author/illustrator Hoong Yee Lee-Krakauer, and presented to children in San Jose schools and museum
Kindergarten music teacher at Emerson Elementary School in Berkeley
2003-2004
2005-2006
Founder and director of the School of String Improvisation in Berkeley since 2004
Founder and director of Creative Strings Summer Camp in Berkeley since 2005

Playing and Recording Experience
Training
Began studying music at the age of 6 in Los Angeles
Concertmaster of Idyllwild School 1974 and Congress of Strings 1977
Music Academy of the West 1976 and 1978
Principal second violin under Seiji Ozawa at Tanglewood 1979
Bachelor's degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music  1977-1981
Studied with Charles Libove
Concertmaster of the orchestra the last two years
Attended the Banff Centre of Fine Arts, Fellowship program 1981-1982
Studied with Sydney Harth, Janos Starker, and David Darling
Professional Playing and Recording Experience 
Orchestral
Baltimore Symphony  1981-1983
Concertmaster of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra  1982-1983
Oakland Symphony Orchestra 1986-1987
Substitute musician with the San Francisco  Symphony since 1990
Chamber
Founder of the Real Vocal String Quartet  since 2003
Founding member of the Turtle Island String Quartet  1986-1989
Recordings on Windham Hill Record Label
Soloist
Concerto soloist at the Cabrillo Music Festival, with the Rohnert Park Symphony , and the Penisula Symphony
Solo recording artist with
Real Vocal String Quartet
Turtle Island String Quartet
Ali Akbar Khan
Jai Uttal
Skywalker Symphony on many recording and film projects
Irene Sazer "First Things First"
Recording Production
Co-producer of "First Things First", Irene Sazer singer/songwriter artist
Co-producer of the Real Vocal String Quartet
Producer of  Hillary Bernstein's "Originals From a Young Artist"
Co-producer of  "Collaborations" with cellist/composer Gianna Abondolo
Founder and co-producer of the Spa.music series
Production consultant on numerous projects of Bay Area composer/performers since 1986
Violinist on Lucas Games  The Dig
                 Firaxis Games 
                 Sim City online


SOLOIST WITH THESE ARTISTS
Ali Akbar Khan...Garden of Dreams
Jai Uttal...Beggars and Saints and new the release, Shiva Station, on the Mercury Label
Primus...film project
David Grisman
Turtle Island String Quartet...founding member...Turtle Island String Quartet, Metropolis, and Winter Solstice 2 (gold record )
on the  Whindam Hill Label
Holly Near...Sky Dances
Jim Chappel
soloist in concert
Billy Joel
Mannattan Transfer
Paul McCandless
Kai Ekhardt
Jai Uttal
Steve Smith of Journey
PERFORMED and/or RECORDED AS LEADER OF OR IN A STRING SECTION WITH
Lyle Lovett.Ella Fitzgerald.Frank Sinatra.Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones.Tony Bennet.
Linda Rondstat.RandyNewman.RayCharles.Kitaro.Natalie Cole.
Dionne Warwick.BurtBacherach.SmokyRobinson.BarryWhite.TheMoodyBlues.John Williams on the Star Wars recording an in concert.Patti LaBelle.Bob Hope.Holly Cole.Ben Vareen.Leonard Bernstein. Seiji Ozawa.Yoyo Ma.
and for several Hollywood Films
AWARDS
Gold record for the Windham Hill release of Winter Solstice 2.Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica, CA.Winner of Peninsula Symphony.Concerto Competition.Peabody Scholarship Honor Awar
CONCERTO SOLOIST WITH THESE ORCHESTRAS
Cabrillo Music Festival
Rohnert Park
Peninsula Symphony Orchestra
CONCERTMASTER OF THESE ORCHESTRAS
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra
Bay Area Women,s Philharmonic
Santa Cruz Symphony
PERFORMED WITH THESE MAJOR ORCHESTRAS
San Francisco Symphony
Baltimore Symphony
Oakland Symphony