Sarah Kiel
BIO
Sarah Kiel, a native of the Boston area, is a modern and Baroque violinist dedicated to applying the rich and diverse studies of music theory and music history to modern performance and educational practices. She is passionate about putting music into the social context of its time by also keeping alive the parallel literary, historical, and artistic traditions.
Sarah has had the honor of holding orchestra leadership positions as Concertmaster of Opera51’s 2026 production of Verdi’s Falstaff and to have been appointed Concertmaster of the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra for their 2026–2027 season. For the past several years, Sarah has also served as Assistant Principal of Violin II and Substitute Principal of Violin II for The Concord Orchestra. Additionally, she has served as Concertmaster of Longy School of Music’s 2022 production of Bach’s Phoebus und Pan and as Principal of Violin II for Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra.
Sarah is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Theory candidate at New England Conservatory of Music. She was very honored to be the recipient of NEC’s 2025–2026 Max and Sophie Mydans Scholarship, Luise Vosgerchian Memorial Scholarship, and Ruth Shapiro Memorial Scholarship. In Spring 2026, Sarah served as Teaching Assistant of NEC’s Issues of Women in Music graduate course, taught by NEC Contemporary Musical Arts department chair Eden MacAdam-Somer. As such, Sarah gave lectures about French Baroque composer Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre and 20th-century African American composer Margaret Bonds. Prior to her NEC studies, Sarah earned two Master of Music Degrees in Violin Performance and Historical Performance (Baroque violin) from Longy School of Music of Bard College in Spring 2025. She was honored to be named Longy’s 2024–2025 Joshua & Amy Boger Scholar and the 2022–2024 Margot Kittredge Memorial Scholar. At Longy, Sarah studied violin with Mark Lakirovich and Baroque violin with Sarah Darling.
Sarah also received her Undergraduate Diploma in Violin Performance from Longy in 2022 and her Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Middlesex Community College in 2018. She was honored to be the recipient of Longy’s 2021 Margaret Rohde Award for Excellence in Solfege and Theoretical Studies. Sarah’s pre-college studies included 5 years of violin performance studies and ensembles at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School in the teaching studios of Joshua Peckins, Andrew Kohji Taylor, Julie McKenzie, and Aldo Abreu. Sarah was also honored to be the recipient of the NEC Prep Early Music Department Award in 2018.
In addition to her violin studies, Sarah also received her Level I Dalcroze certification from the 2019 Longy School of Music Summer Dalcroze Institute and her Level II Dalcroze certifications in Solfege and Eurhythmics from the 2022 Longy Summer Dalcroze Institute. Outside of music, Sarah enjoys reading British literature and historical fiction novels, drawing and painting, jewelry-making, visiting museums and antique stores, and going on nature walks.
Headshot available for download
ARTIST STATEMENT
Music is my voice and my solace. Ever since I heard the magical performance of a young, female violin soloist through my public school’s community outreach program, I aspired to be like her. As a violinist and Baroque violinist, I am dedicated to bringing to life music of a variety of eras through a fresh lens, especially music by underrepresented composers and infrequently performed works by familiar composers. Through performance and education, I am committed to using my knowledge of music theory, musicology, and Historical Performance practices to help the audience to better understand and enjoy the music.
TEACHING STATEMENT
I am dedicated to helping students of all ages and backgrounds to develop a core of knowledge that will empower them to make their own performance decisions. I believe that the study of music theory, musicology, and performance practice is deeply intertwined and aim to integrate all three into my teaching. I also put repertoire into the historical context of its time by integrating study of parallel artistic traditions. I aim to expand the traditional canon by teaching both unfamiliar works by well-known composers and gems by underrepresented composers while continuing to study familiar favorites with a fresh perspective.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING (DEIB) STATEMENT
Since I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the violin through my public school’s community outreach program, I am dedicated to improving accessibility and increasing exposure to classical music for everyone, regardless of their age, background, or culture. I especially aim to increase exposure to Historical Performance, since this is still an unfamiliar field for so many people. As a young female musician, I am also committed to supporting the work of women by performing and teaching more music by female composers and by mentoring other young women and giving concerts for women in-need.