Based in the Twin Cities, the Linden String Quartet is composed of four St. Olaf College graduates: Claire Belisle ’17 (violin), Becca Hanson ’14 (violin), Sophia Butler ’15 (viola), and Sarah Gingerich ’11 (cello). We offer a wide range of repertoire selections, with anything from Bach to Beyoncé and Gershwin to Gaga. To contact us for an event, please write to us at lindenstringquartet@gmail.com.
Claire Belisle, violin
Becca Hanson, violin
Sophia Butler (viola) holds degrees in music and teaching from St. Olaf College, and the University of Alaska Southeast. She has performed at taught with El Sistema inspired JAMM (Juneau Alaska Music Matters), as well as Fulbright Malaysia. Since 2018, Sophia has been teaching band, orchestra, and jazz at South High School in Minneapolis. In 2023, she completed an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute.
In addition to teaching, Sophia performs often as a violinist and violist in the Twin Cities area. She performs with Rogue Tango and Mill City Caravan and has experience playing other folk and jazz genres. She also performs regularly as a member of the Linden Hills String Quartet, and in several pit orchestras throughout the metro area.
Sarah Gingerich (cello) is an active freelance musician in the Twin Cities metro area. She performs regularly with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, local theater companies such as Minnetonka Theater and Theatre301, and is a founding member and cellist in the Linden String Quartet (lindenstringquartet.com). A graduate of St. Olaf College, Sarah received a bachelor of music degree in cello performance and studied with Anna Clift, David Carter, Stephen Feldman, and Melita Hungsinger. As a student, she toured with the St. Olaf Orchestra throughout 26 states, Spain, Morocco, and China, and in a string ensemble with the St. Olaf Choir at halls such as Severance Hall (Cleveland, Ohio), Mechanics Hall (Worcester, MA), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia, PA), and Carnegie Hall (New York, NY).
Sarah currently serves as the assistant director of project management for music organizations at St. Olaf College, where she coordinates concerts, events, and domestic and international tours for the college’s music ensembles. Previous roles included working in operations at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and coordinating the International Cello Institute.
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