Sara Maria Rilling – Viola
Sara Maria Rilling was born in Stuttgart. Her musical education began on the piano. While still in school she received viola lessons from Friedrich Rüstig and Enrique Santiago at the University in Stuttgart.
After receiving her Leaving Certificate, Sara studied in Salzburg with Jürgen Geise and later in Berlin with Professor Erich Krüger and Stefan Fehlandt. She completed her diploma in Weimar under the guidance of Professor Erich Krüger. Additional musical impulses came through masterclasses with Hariolf Schlichtig, Jürgen Kussmaul, Paul Coletti and Thomas Kakuska.
Sara has been a member of the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart conducted by Helmuth Rilling for many years, she founded the Robert Kahn Trio and plays regularly with the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. She has performed in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and has been directed by conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Krzystztof Penderecki, Gustavo Dudamel and Zubin Mehta.
On completing her studies, Sara lived and worked for several years in Venezuela, teaching music to children from impoverished areas and playing throughout the country as a soloist and chamber musician. Solo performances have also taken her to Colombia, Israel, the United States of America and Japan.