Cellist Betsy Sanders grew up in Minnesota within a very musical family. She began piano lessons with her Mom at age 5, then followed in her older brothers' footsteps and took up the cello at age 9. She attended the Interlochen Music Camp and graduated from their prestigious Arts Academy. Betsy earned her Bachelor of Music degree from DePauw University in Indiana, becoming the second person in the school's history to win the concerto competition four times (the first person was her brother Shawn). She came to Austin for graduate work at the University of Texas, completing both her Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in cello performance. Her treatise for the DMA concentrated on the field of music medicine, and she regularly advises fellow musicians on how to deal with performance injuries. Her primary study was with with Sally Nordstrom, Denis Brott, Cassel Grubb and Paul Olefsky.

She became a member of the Austin Symphony in 1984, and has been a member of the Austin Lyric Opera orchestra since the organization formed in 1986. She taught in the UT String Project under Phyllis Young while attending UT, and then expanded her private teaching studio, now teaching about 20 students each week. She also performs in various small ensembles in Austin such as the Panoramic Voices , and hires orchestras for a range of performing groups. Her freelance opportunities include touring shows, weddings, recording sessions, and adjudicating student competitions. In her spare time she can be found doing genealogy research, cuddling with her animals, watching cooking shows, playing video games, trying to organize her office and learning new ways to practice the cello.