SARA WINKLE

R&B

     Sara Winkle was born in the small town of Maryville, Tennessee.  Her fascination with music started at the early age of three when she became obsessed with Mick Jagger, or Fat Lips as she called him.  Her love of Mick’s stage antics soon grew into a passion for performance, although she kept her “shows” to herself in her room, where she practiced her vocals.  As she grew up, her parents also influenced her love of music as her mother, a former piano major, filled her ears with Chopin, Beethoven, and Bach.  Likewise, her father influenced her with stories of playing in bands and recording since his high school years.  Although she formally started her musical training on piano, she soon switched to viola, which allowed her more experience playing in a group.  Her endeavors on the viola permitted her to solo Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, with her high school orchestra accompanying. 

     Although she enjoys and is inspired by classical music, it is not her only influence.  Madonna, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and Joni Mitchell are among her top musical influences.  In fact, Madonna was her original, but not only, inspiration for moving to New York City, where she majored in music business at New York University.