Violinist Kate Oswin grew up in a rich musical environment in Christchurch, New Zealand. She was a double prize-winner at the Gisborne International Music Competition, and is a former winner of the New Zealand Chamber Music Contest. She is a recipient of the Alex Lindsay Memorial Award, and performed as soloist with the Wellington Chamber Orchestra for their 40th anniversary season. She has worked professionally as a contract violinist in the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra since age fifteen, and has worked as a rank and file 1st violinist in Orchestra Wellington, and as a contract 1st violinist in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Kate is a graduate of the New Zealand School of Music, where she was awarded the Roy Jack Prize for String Players and the Clare Galambos-Winter Scholarship in Violin Performance while studying with Yury Gezentsvey. Currently, Kate is completing a Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music, as a scholarship student under the tuition of Professor Remus Azoitei. Kate plays in the elite Academy Soloists, with whom she has performed at Wigmore Hall and completed a special recording project with leading historical performance specialist Trevor Pinnock due for public release early next year. Kate regularly performs in leadership positions in the various Academy ensembles, including concertmaster of the Academy Opera Orchestra for the recent RAO season of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, and co-principal 1st violin of the Academy String Orchestra under the baton of Maxim Vengerov. She was also selected to perform in a contemporary music project with the London Sinfonietta at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in honour of Sir Harrison Birtwistle.

Kate is grateful for the generous financial assistance she has had through the Patricia Pratt Scholarship, the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women, the Leverhulme Trust, the Inspire Foundation, the Rachel Bennett Arts Foundation, and other benefactors.

 Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody Reinterpreted, The Royal Academy of Music Quartet