Sadie Nichols completed her Viola Performance studies at Indiana University (Bachelor’s Degree) under Atar Arad and University of Maryland (Master’s Degree) under Katherine Murdock of the Mendelssohn String Quartet & Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet.

She has performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra since 2001 and was appointed Assistant Principal Viola in 2023. Sadie has played regularly with the New Jersey Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, American Symphony (NYC), Harrisburg Symphony and Hilton Head Symphony in addition to numerous shows on Broadway.

Mrs. Nichols has played in summer festivals such as the Wintergreen Music Festival, Breckenridge Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Piccolo Spoleto, National Orchestra Institute, National Orchestral Institute and opera festivals in Graz, Austria.

She is an avid chamber musician in addition to her orchestral jobs, playing with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the St Petersburg Quartet and studying with the members of the Guarneri String Quartet. 

Sadie is married to the CSO Principal Horn, Brandon Nichols, and when she is not playing music, she can be found knitting sweaters and taking her daughter Autumn O’Connor to USA swim meets.