Violin with Kate O.

Musician and educator Kate O. works to meaningfully challenge the status quo in the service of engaging and uniting people through the performing arts. A dynamic violinist, a fierce advocate of contemporary music and promoter of responsible and thorough music education in the city of Los Angeles and beyond, Kate performs at the forefront of today's music scene. Currently, a teaching artist with YOLA at Expo Park in Los Angeles, Kate uses a blend of Suzuki pedagogy, Creative Ability Development, and mindfulness exercises when teaching children in group and individual settings. This spring she was lucky to join YOLA students and faculty on a trip to Seoul Korea, in conjunction with the LA Philharmonic tour, to work with Korean El Sistema students. Raised as a Suzuki student herself and having received her Suzuki Book 1 certification from former teacher Ronda Cole, Kate hopes to be able to bring music education into communities that don't historically have access to musical training, while also breathing new life into traditional string pedagogy. ​Kate received her Masters of Music and Masters of Chamber Music at the University of Michigan where she studied with Aaron Berofsky in 2015, and her Bachelors of Music from Boston University in 2013, where she studied with Bayla Keyes. An active performer, Kate performs regularly in LA in venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, RedCat, and the Ace Theater. ​While not playing her violin, Kate enjoys traveling to new places, eating dessert first, and perfecting her favorite yoga pose "shavasana."