Sara Sturdivant, mezzo-soprano, was a 2006 recipient of the FOKO scholarship. She is an active voice teacher, music director, accompanist, and singer in southern Maine. She has a bachelor's and master's degree in voice performance from the University of Southern Maine, and an artist diploma in voice from Mannes College, the New School for music. She is the parish accompanist for Holy Cross Church in South Portland, and has sung opera regionally and nationally. A particularly favorite performance was as the alto soloist for Handel's "Messiah" at Carnegie Hall in 2009.