Katherine Baloff

Katherine joined the violin section of the Sarasota Orchestra in 2018 and is a frequently invited guest with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and Orlando Philharmonic, among others.

Originally from the Philadelphia suburbs, Katherine made her solo debut at age 15 performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Ocean City Pops Orchestra. Since then, she has enjoyed a varied career as a sought-after orchestral and chamber violinist across the United States and Italy. Her performances have been reviewed by newspapers such as the Palm Beach Arts Paper where her playing was described as “lovely, poised and accomplished”. In 2010, Katherine was awarded the NJ Governor’s Award in Arts Education and the same year, the mayor of her hometown proclaimed April 12th “Katherine Baloff Day” in honor of her musical achievements. Her other awards include first prize in the chamber music competition of the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York.

A passionate educator of over a decade, she founded the Katherine B. Violin Academy in 2020 and has had the pleasure of teaching students in over 12 different countries. She is also a faculty member of the Dali Quartet International Music Festival in Philadelphia and is excited to join the Sarasota Music Conservatory faculty this summer accepting students of all levels.

Katherine holds a Bachelor’s Degree from DePaul University’s School of Music in Chicago and her Masters Degree and Artist Diploma from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton. Her primary teachers were Ilya Kaler and Elmar Oliveira. She currently performs on a 2004 Benjamin Ruth violin. In her free time, she enjoys cooking (but mostly eating) and hanging out with her two “foster-fail” cats and her fiancé, fellow violinist Yordan Tenev.