Hailing from the backroads of Des Moines, Iowa, violinist Katie Klocke enjoys an eclectic career as an orchestra and chamber musician, educator, and translator. She also develops original music for electric violin.

 

Katie can be seen and heard on stage as Dubuque Symphony Orchestra's principal second violinist, resident strings player in the Chicago collective, Flowers for the Living, and in many classical and contemporary groups in Chicago and abroad. She also appears on a wide-range of discography, spanning the genres of classical, indie, punk, and hip-hop.

At four years old, Katie saw a comedy-fiddle act, and her lessons in violin began shortly thereafter. Since then, her love of music and travel has provided opportunities to study various musical practices and to concertize in many different contexts and continents. From playing contemporary Bulgarian music in Sofia to learning Quechua songs in Cusco, Peru, Katie has followed her inspiration to learn how diverse traditions resonate in today’s world, regularly playing in festivals in Europe and the Americas such as Castleton Music Festival, the Berlin Opera Academy, AIMS in Graz, and the Aurora Festival Orchestra in Stockholm, Sweden.

Katie completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden with the aid of the generous University of Gothenburg Study Scholarship and a grant from the Adlerbert Foundation. She focused her studies on both orchestral playing and improvisation. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in music and English literature from the University of Iowa.

Her classical training includes studies with Patti Ruisch, Dr. Scott Conklin, Allen Ohmes, Ralf-Carsten Brömsel, Marja Inkinen-Engström, as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s elite training program, the Civic Orchestra. She has played in masterclasses for James Ehnes, Mi-Kyung Lee, Barbara Doll, Eszter Haffner, and Daniel Avshalomov and has had the opportunity to share the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Jaap van Zweden, Truls Mørk, Christian Zacharias, Kid Koala, Dan the Automator, Deltron 3030, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and many other influential performers.

A Suzuki kid herself, Katie pulls much pedagogical inspiration from the Suzuki method which emphasizes an aural approach, stepwise growth, and a focus on nourishment of the student as both musician and human being. She is certified in Suzuki Books 1-4 and also has experience teaching in El Sistema and other group methods.

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An enthusiastic teacher, she maintains a private studio of brilliant musicians of tomorrow as well as teaches piano, violin, and fiddle to the talented souls at the Old Town School of Music.