Kate is a committed educator and mentor and has been Sessional Professor of Viola at Memorial University of Newfoundland since 2015.
Kate completed her Bachelor of Music Degree and a Postgraduate Diploma in performance at the Royal College of Music in London, UK. She went on to participate in masterclasses and long term residencies at the Banff Centre, Canada, where she played for Karen Tuttle, David Takeno and Thomas Brandis to name a few.
Kate has training in the Suzuki method and joined the STEP (Suzuki Talent Education Program) faculty in 2015, and she greatly values being part of this committed and generous team of teachers.
Kate has also coached chamber music groups at Memorial, Suzuki camps, and the Calos Youth Orchestra special viola programme, as well as viola sectionals. She is an experienced sectional leader and has worked in this capacity with the Cambridge (UK) University Orchestra and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, in addition to the Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatchewan youth orchestras.
Kate’s work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra included many educational workshops in a variety of settings, including schools, seniors homes, Streetwise Charity and inviting guests into the orchestra itself. Whilst in Norway, Kate devised a school concert production titled Folk Collected Classically which she toured with the Elgin String Trio to numerous schools in Nordland County.
The Atlantic String Quartet, responsible for a large part of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra’s educational programming, also performs and conducts workshops in public schools, seniors homes and other community settings, moving online when necessary.
Kate currently runs a private studio in St. John’s, working with students of all ages and levels. For any inquiries please contact Kate at: kateread74 [at] gmail.com