Reinterpreting the classical in the Conservatory

Female mucisian quietly makes history in the Classical Guitar Department

Last Friday night, there was a small gathering of people in the lobby of Keep Cottage, inviting a couple more people to come in and investigate. At the center of attention was first-year Conservatory student Sarah Lucas, singing.

Sarah's singing is not her only talent that deserves attention. This year, the St. Louis native became the first female Classical Guitar major ever to enroll in the Conservatory.

Lucus, whose mother is a folk guitarist and jazz singer, displayed an interest in playing at the age of nine. Her parents took her to a classical guitar instructor.

After playing for a year and a half, she stopped taking lessons. "I didn't like the teacher," she says.

Sarah took a three year hiatus, then picked her guitar back up when she was 13. She's been playing since then, for a total of six years.

When she auditioned to get into the Conservatory, the supervising professor told her that if she enrolled, she would be the first female guitarist to do so. Still, Sarah said, "I thought there would be other women in my class."

There were not other women, and in 1998, Sarah broke ground in a college that has been known for doing so since its founding.

One might think that since the Classical Guitar department has been exclusively male for all this time, there may be a little tension with Lucas' presence. All the men in her class, however, seem very excited with Lucas's presence. "I think it's awesome," said Conservatory Sophomore Kyle Gilbertson.

Lucus asserts she does not feel strange being the only woman in her genre. She said of the guys, "They are very supportive, laid back and interesting. They treat me respectively. It's a great situation."

Lucus is a very eloquent and well-spoken woman, and is fairly modest. She seems rather quick to devalue her achievement, but is proud of it nonetheless.

A very laid-back person, Sarah is usually either practicing in the Conservatory or lounging in her room.

The door is usually open, and her sparsely-lit room is inviting. Her walls are lined with black and white pictures, many of which she took herself.

Lucus said she would love to go to graduate school, but is not anxious to get out of school and have a job. Her goals in life are to "have a strong classical background, and to incorporate other types of world music into my playing."

"I want to spend a large amount of my life traveling and studying with various teachers, and trying to understand what I love the best," she said.

Breaking ground: Conservatory first-year Sarah Lucus is the first female classical guitar major in the history of the conservatory. (photo by Sarah Lucus)