Violist Kate Moran, 23, is in her final year of a Bachelors of Music degree at the University of Ottawa studying under Michael van der Sloot, having previously studied with Victoria Chiang and Choong-Jin Chang at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. She is presently a violist in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and has played with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, Victoria Conservatory of Music Chamber Orchestra, and Peabody’s Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Kate has also been privileged to play under world-renowned conductors such as Marin Alsop, Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff, amongst others. She has won numerous awards and scholarships performing in venues across North America, including the prestigious Roberto and Mary Wood Scholarship Competition, the largest performing arts scholarship in Canada awarded at a music festival. Kate also won first prize at the BC Provincial Music Festival in both Senior Solo Strings and Senior Chamber Music and third prize in the National category. An avid chamber musician, Kate has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Axel Strauss, Nicholas Kitchen, Fabiola Kim, Elbert Tsai, Jethro Marks, Paul Marleyn, Rachel Mercer, and Leo Singer. She has been a soloist with multiple orchestras in her hometown and has worked with distinguished faculty such as Kim Kashkashian, Pinchas Zukerman, Colin Carr, Misha Amory, Robert Vernon, Jeffrey Irvine, Philip Setzer, Atar Arad, Nicholas Kitchen, and Martha Katz. Kate has attended Aspen Music Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Center Stage Strings, Orford Music Academy, National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program, Online Solo Strings Intensive, and Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy. Kate is currently Vice-President of English Communications on ADEMSA (uOttawa’s Music Student Association), a coordinator for Ottawa Winter Music Festival, a Teaching Artist at Orkidstra, and a member of Back to Bach.
