At the age of just four, she became one of the youngest scholarship recipients of the Freiburg-based Pflüger Foundation, dedicated to the promotion of young violin talents.

Sarina began her viola studies with Professor Wolfram Christ at the Freiburg University of Music. After graduating with distinction, she continued her studies in 2014 with Professor Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin, where, following the completion of her Master’s degree, she was selected-among a very limited number of students-to pursue the prestigious Konzertexamen. She received further artistic inspiration through masterclasses at institutions such as the Verbier Festival Academy and the Kronberg Academy, studying with renowned artists including Yuri Bashmet, Nobuko Imai, Antoine Tamestit, and Lars Anders Tomter.

For several years, Sarina was a scholarship holder of the Villa Musica Foundation Rheinland-Pfalz, which honored her in 2016 with the award “Scholar of the Year” in recognition of her outstanding musical and social achievements.

From 2016 to 2018, she was supported by the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation and was among the prizewinners of the Peter Pirazzi Competition in 2019.

A passionate chamber musician, Sarina is a regular guest at numerous festivals, including the Klavierfestival Ruhr, Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, and the Kitzbühel Summer Festival, where she has performed alongside artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Graham Johnson, Lukas and Clemens Hagen, and Xavier de Maistre. In 2021, she founded her own chamber music series, the Badische Konzerte.

She gained her first orchestral experience during her school years as principal violist of the German National Youth Orchestra. She is frequently invited as a guest musician by leading ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. At the invitation of Paavo Järvi, she became a member of the Estonian Festival Orchestra in 2022, performing on tours across Europe and Asia as well as at the Pärnu Festival. In the 2019/2020 season, she held the position of Associate Principal Viola with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Her regular engagement with contemporary music is reflected in her work as a member of Ensemble risonanze erranti and in collaborations with composers such as Birke Bertelsmeier, Benjamin Scheuer, and Stefan Heucke. In addition to numerous world premieres, her discography includes recordings such as the portrait album “Impulsive Lieder” by Benjamin Scheuer, released in 2025.

Together with the Kammersymphonie Berlin under the direction of Jürgen Bruns, Sarina recorded Josef Schelb’s Viola Concerto. This first recording, released in June 2021 by the label Toccata, has received wide critical acclaim.

Sarina discovered her passion for teaching at an early age. While still at school, she was active as a music mentor, supported amateur orchestras in concert preparation, and led workshops for corporate groups. Workshops, masterclasses, and individual audition preparation now form an integral part of her pedagogical work. In 2024, she was appointed to the faculty of the Pflüger Foundation in Freiburg.

Artist's website: sarinazickgraf.com