Sara Serpa | Home

ABOUT

Sara Serpa, from Lisbon, based in New York, is a vocalist, composer, improviser, curator, magazine editor, and co-founder of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians.

Described by The New York Times as “a singer of silvery poise and cosmopolitan outlook,” and by JazzTimes as “a master of wordless landscapes,” Serpa explores the voice as an instrument and the intersections of sound, emotion, and narrative. Her work spans composed and improvised music, collaborative and interdisciplinary projects, and editorial initiatives, forming a constellation of interconnected artistic practices.

Sara Serpa, natural de Lisboa e radicada em Nova Iorque, é vocalista, compositora, improvisadora, curadora, editora de revista e ativista cultural. Descrita pelo The New York Times como “uma cantora de postura luminosa e espírito cosmopolita” e pela JazzTimes como “uma mestre das paisagens sem palavras”, Serpa explora a voz como instrumento e as interseções entre som, emoção e narrativa. O seu trabalho abrange música composta e improvisada, projetos colaborativos e interdisciplinares, bem como iniciativas editoriais, formando uma constelação de práticas artísticas interconectadas.

Sara Serpa has performed at some of the New York City’s most iconic venues, including Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Joe’s Pub, and the Village Vanguard. Since 2008, she has toured internationally with her own projects, bringing her genre-defying music to festivals and stages across Europe, Australia, North and South America. Serpa has been touring extensively with renowned bassist Linda May Han Oh, contributing her voice to some of today’s most visionary and boundary-pushing musical collaborations.

Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Serpa grew up immersed in books, art, and music. Her work is often shaped by themes of migration, history, and identity, and she draws inspiration from poetry, film, and global political narratives.

Over the years, she has worked with an impressive range of artists, including Ran Blake, Mark Turner, Ingrid Laubrock, Zeena Parkins, Sofía Rei, Angelica Sanchez, Aubrey Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Kris Davis, David Virelles, John Zorn, Erik Friedlander, Danilo Perez, Greg Osby, Qasim Naqvi, Okkyung Lee, and André Matos, her long-time duo partner, among many others.

Serpa’s voice has also inspired and contributed to the work of renowned contemporary composers, including Andreia Pinto Correia, Aya Nishina, Ashley Fure, Derek Bermel, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., and Ingrid Laubrock.

Beyond the stage, Serpa is also the co-founder of M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians), a groundbreaking collective dedicated to supporting women and gender-expansive artists through mentorship, collaboration, and community-building. With M³, she’s helped create a living archive of music, writing, and conversations that center underrepresented voices in the music world.

A passionate educator, Serpa teaches at The New School along with workshops and clinics around the world. Whether in performance, collaboration, or community-building, she continues to redefine what it means to be a vocalist and composer in the XXI century.

Sara Serpa tem-se apresentado em alguns dos espaços mais emblemáticos de Nova Iorque, incluindo o Lincoln Center, o Metropolitan Museum of Art, o Joe’s Pub e o Village Vanguard. Desde 2008, tem feito digressões internacionais com os seus próprios projetos, levando a sua música sem fronteiras a festivais e palcos na Europa, Austrália, América do Norte e América do Sul. Serpa tem colaborado de forma contínua com a baixista consagrada Linda May Han Oh, trazendo a sua voz a algumas das experiências musicais mais visionárias e inovadoras da atualidade.

Nascida e criada em Lisboa, Portugal, Serpa cresceu imersa em livros, arte e música. O seu trabalho é frequentemente moldado por temas de migração, história e identidade, buscando inspiração na poesia, no cinema e em narrativas políticas globais.

Ao longo da sua carreira, trabalhou com uma impressionante variedade de artistas, incluindo Ran Blake, Mark Turner, Ingrid Laubrock, Zeena Parkins, Sofía Rei, Angelica Sanchez, Aubrey Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Kris Davis, David Virelles, John Zorn, Erik Friedlander, Danilo Perez, Greg Osby, Qasim Naqvi, Okkyung Lee e André Matos, seu parceiro de duo de longa data, entre muitos outros.

A voz de Serpa também inspirou e contribuiu para o trabalho de compositores contemporâneos prestigiados, incluindo Andreia Pinto Correia, Aya Nishina, Ashley Fure, Derek Bermel, Joseph C. Phillips Jr. e Ingrid Laubrock.

Para além do palco, Serpa é cofundadora do M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians), um projecto inovador, dedicado a apoiar artistas mulheres e de identidades de género diversas, através de mentoria, colaborações e desenvolvimento de oportunidades. Com o M³, Serpa ajuda também a criar um arquivo vivo de música, textos e conversas que colocam vozes sub-representadas no centro do mundo da música.

Educadora dedicada, Serpa leciona na The New School, e conduz workshops e clínicas internacionalmente. Seja na performance, na colaboração ou na construção de comunidade, continua a redefinir o que significa ser uma vocalista e compositora no século XXI.

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"A singer of silvery poise and cosmopolitan outlook" .

The New York Times

Sara Serpa receives 2025 Fromm Music Foundation Commission

I’m so honored and grateful to be among this amazing group of people, this year’s Fromm Music Foundation 2025 Commission recipients: Eve Beglarian, Mahir Cetiz, Marti Epstein, Heather Frasch, Robert Honstein, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Paul Novak, João Pedro Oliveira, Celeste Oram, Timothy Page, Zeena Parkins. Each year, the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University accepts applications for new music commissions judged by an anonymous jury panel. This year’s panel selected twelve composers representing a breadth of new music projects, which will be premiered in collaboration with an exciting roster of ensembles and musicians in the coming years.

É uma honra estar entre este grupo fantástico de pessoas, os destinatários da Comissão da Fromm Music Foundation de 2025: Eve Beglarian, Mahir Cetiz, Marti Epstein, Heather Frasch, Robert Honstein, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Paul Novak, João Pedro Oliveira, Celeste Oram, Timothy Page, Zeena Parkins. Todos os anos, a Fromm Music Foundation da Universidade de Harvard aceita candidaturas para comissões de música nova, avaliadas por um painel de júri anónimo. O painel deste ano selecionou doze compositores que representam uma diversidade de projetos de música nova, que serão estreados em colaboração com diversos grupos e músicos nos próximos anos.

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“Serpa possesses a preternatural cool, injecting weightless sophistication and melodic grace into everything she touches.”

Peter Margasak, The Chicago Reader

SHOWS

October 17, 2025 | 14:00

Sara Serpa & André Matos 4tet

Bar Bayeux

Sara Serpa- voice

André Matos- guitar

Dov Manski- piano

Ivanna Cuesta- drums

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November 5, 2025 | 13:30

w/ Linda May Han Oh

Teatro Metropolitan, Catania, Italy

The Glass Hours 4tet:

Linda May Han Oh-bass

Sara Serpa - Voice
Fabian Almazan - piano/effects
Mark Whitfield Jnr

November 6, 2025 | 13:18

w/ Linda May Han Oh

Palermo, Italy

Linda May Han Oh- The Glass Hours 4tet

Sara Serpa - Voice
Fabian Almazan - piano/effects
Mark Whitfield Jnr- drums

November 7, 2025 | 13:18

w/ Linda May Han Oh

Duc des Lombards, Paris

Linda May Han Oh- The Glass Hours 4tet

Sara Serpa - Voice
Fabian Almazan - piano/effects
Mark Whitfield Jnr- drums

November 8, 2025 | 13:18

w/ Linda May Han Oh

Duc des Lombards, Paris, France

Linda May Han Oh- The Glass Hours 4tet

Sara Serpa - Voice
Fabian Almazan - piano/effects
Mark Whitfield Jnr- drums

November 9, 2025 | 13:18

w/ Linda May Han Oh

The Unterfarht, Munich, Germany

Linda May Han Oh- The Glass Hours 4tet

Sara Serpa - Voice
Fabian Almazan - piano/effects
Mark Whitfield Jnr- drums