Katie Capp believes strongly in the development of life skills through musical study and is interested in how individuals can overcome their given environment through musical involvement. This belief has led Katie to mentor students through her studio teaching; where while individuals develop cello technique, they more importantly develop professional ideals, personal understanding, and social connection to help progress in any facet of life. With a decade of teaching experience behind her, Katie’s dedication to students, excellence in performing, and passion for recording have created a beautiful musical career.Currently, Katie is a member of the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra, cofounder of Magnolia Strings, teacher at Allegro School of Music, volunteer at Tucson Youth Music Center, and has a thriving private studio. Some of Katie’s favorite work includes recording sessions in the commercial music industry. You can find recent studio work of Katie’s on the albums of Columbia Records artist Dominic Fike, whose tracks with Katie; Acai Bowl and Politics & Violence have millions of listeners. When Katie is not performing, teaching, or recording she is studying music in a variety of capacities. Katie is pursuing a Master’s in Cello Performance at the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music where she studies with Dr. Theodore Buchholz. Throughout the school year Katie is a Graduate Teaching Assistant who helps teach general education courses in foundational music theory and history topics. This past summer Katie was the instructor of record for an intro to music theory course for the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music. Previous cello mentors include Greg Sauer and David Bjella. Highlights of Katie’s solo masterclass appearances include Jeffrey Solow, Colin Carr and Paul Wiancko at the 2020 Tucson Cello Congress. Highlights of Katie’s chamber masterclass appearances include Lawrence Dutton of Emerson Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, Badke String Quartet, and Thomas Kraines of Daedalus Quartet. Katie’s summers are often spent at music festivals such as Eastern Music Festival, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Rocky Ridge Music Center, the latter which included studying with Cleveland Institute of Music professor Si-Yan Darren Li. Katie lives in Tucson Arizona with her husband, violist Raiden Thaler and their plethora of house plants. If you don’t hear string music filling their house, they’re most likely trying out an adventurous recipe for dinner or catching up on episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
