Sarah Frances Jenkins is a composer and clarinettist based in the UK. In 2025, Sarah was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 to write a piano piece to mark International Women's Day: ‘I am out with Lanterns, Looking for Myself’ was premiered by Siwan Rhys live on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 8th of March 2025 and during the programme Sarah was also interviewed live by Tom Service. She is Composer in Residence with the Odyssey Ensemble, a flexible ensemble dedicated to sharing the stories of refugees through music and poetry: the ensemble made its London debut at King’s Place in May 2025 with the premiere of ‘Things I Carried’, a piece co created by Sarah (music), Noah Lawson (sound design) and six refugee poets. In 2024, Sarah was selected as one of seven composers on the Royal Philharmonic Society Composers Programme, during which time she wrote ‘Halfway to Zenith’ for the Marian Consort.

Since winning BBC Young Composer in 2017, Sarah has been commissioned by prestigious organisations and ensembles such as the BBC Proms (where ‘Music and Meditation’ was performed as part of The Dream Prom 2022), BBC Concert Orchestra (where ‘And the Sun Stood Still’ was premiered live on BBC Radio 3 in 2018), the Gould Piano Trio & Robert Plane (where ‘Gaia’ was premiered at the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival in 2023), the Vale of Glamorgan Festival (where she was Featured Composer in 2021, alongside composers Judith Weir and Peteris Vasks), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Aurora Orchestra, Solem Quartet, Magnard Ensemble, Psappha and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. 

Sarah was selected as the first ‘Emerge Composer’ at the Presteigne Festival from 2022-2024. ‘Shivelight’ for clarinet and piano was released on CD with Resonus Classics in 2023, sitting alongside other pieces commissioned by the clarinettist Robert Plane and in 2024, ‘Tincture of the Skies’ was released with Rubicon Classics, as part of Fenella Humphreys’ album of music for solo violin: PRISM.  Her music has been performed across the world and in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St David’s Hall, the BBC Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House, BBC Hoddinott Hall and has been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Her work inhabits striking and atmospheric sound worlds and is often inspired by the natural world.   

As a clarinettist, Sarah was awarded The Musicians’ Company Silver Medal in 2020 and is now a member of the Musicians’ Company Young Artists’ programme. A chamber music highlight has been performing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor with the Salomé Quartet. As an orchestral player, Sarah has performed as principal clarinet in Mahler’s ninth Symphony, under the baton of Martyn Brabbins and in 2019 she was selected for the Orchestral Placement Schemes with both the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera.

Sarah is a passionate educator and has been a BBC Proms Inspire Ambassador since 2017, where she helps to facilitate creative music workshops for young people. She holds a DipABRSM in Clarinet Teaching with Distinction. In July 2020, Sarah graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a First Class Honours Degree and the Principal’s Award for Music. She studied the clarinet with Robert Plane, Lenny Sayers and John Cooper and was mentored by composer John Hardy. In July 2022, she completed a postgraduate degree in clarinet and composition at the Royal College of Music, where she was a Wilkins-Mackerras Award Holder and was taught by Richard Hosford and Timothy Lines.