About Sarah
Sarah Collins is a fiddle player based in the Baltimore/DC area with deep roots in the Boston traditional music community. After spending part of her childhood in Edinburgh, she grew up immersed in the Scottish music scene, and her playing today blends influences from Irish and Old-Time fiddle styles.
Sarah has taught at a number of fiddle camps, including Hanneke Cassel's Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend, Katie McNally's Boston States Fiddle Camp, and the CCE Musical Arts and Dance (MAD) Weekend in Washington, DC. She will also join the faculty for Baltimore's Irish Trad Fest in April 2025. Sarah regularly hosts Irish sessions in both DC and Baltimore, creating spaces for musicians to gather and share tunes.
Sarah currently performs with two bands: an Irish trio with David McKindley-Ward and Marty Frye, and a duo with 5-string banjo player Jonathan Vocke. She also joined the Scottish band Old Blind Dogs for a U.S. tour in March 2025. She has collaborated with many talented musicians over the years, including Eamon Sefton, Conor Hearn, Maura Shawn Scanlin, Calum Bell, and Kate Gregory. You can find videos of some of those collaborations on her YouTube page.
In response to the isolation of the pandemic, Sarah co-founded the Ministry of Folk, a project dedicated to keeping folk music alive through community engagement. She also co-produces monthly concerts for the Baltimore Folk Club with Richard Osban, supporting Baltimore's local folk scene.
With a passion for both music and community, Sarah continues to make her mark in the folk and traditional music world.