Violinist Sarah Grimes, a native of the Twin Cities, joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2016, where she is a member of the first violin section. Before her appointment in the Minnesota Orchestra, she performed full time as a Guest Musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and formerly a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Grimes was concertmaster of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, performer and cofounder in student-led ensembles, and a freelance musician in the greater Chicagoland area. She has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Evanston Chamber Players, and most recently with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Spring 2019. An active chamber musician in the Twin Cities, Grimes performs for the Minnesota Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Liquid Music Series, the SPCO Chamber Music Series, Bakken Trio, Outpost, The Musical Offering, and at festivals including Kneisel Hall Chamber Music, Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills and Astona International. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra.
Her principal teachers include Sarah Kwak and Almita and Roland Vamos.