Graceland Alumna Sarah Cullen Returns to the GU Stage

On Saturday, November 9 at 7:30 pm, Graceland University alumna and violinist Sarah (Young) Cullen gave a free concert in Carol Hall, performing pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and Debussy.

Sarah, daughter of Jim and Debbie Young and a Lamoni High School graduate, started on the violin at age 3 in the Lamoni Community Schools’ Suzuki music program with Marlys Lesley. She continued her studies with Louita Clothier and began playing in the Graceland Orchestra while in the eighth grade. As a student at Lamoni High School, she played in the Iowa All-State Orchestra for three years, as well as the Des Moines Youth Symphony and Des Moines Youth Chamber Players under Cheryl Kutscher.

Sarah went on to study music at Graceland College during the 1992-93 school year where she was concertmaster of the orchestra and sang in the choir. She then transferred to the University of Iowa where she completed her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Allen Ohmes. Sarah’s graduate studies took her to DePaul University in Chicago where she earned a Master’s in Violin Performance with Stefan Hersh. She maintained an active teaching and freelance career in Chicago and Houston before returning to Iowa in 2004.

Sarah currently lives in Clinton, Iowa, with her husband Shawn and three children: Ethan (9), Aubrey (6) and Kaitlyn (4). Sarah is a member of the first violin section of the Quad City Symphony in Davenport and gives regular performances with her string quartet, Quartrio.