About Katherine Sullivan
Katherine Sullivan is a professional violinist and educator originally from New York and now based in Houston. She started playing the violin at age 4 and went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music pre-college division. She completed a Bachelor of Music degree at DePaul University School of Music in Chicago where she studied with esteemed violinist Ilya Kaler, the only violinist to have won the Tchaikovsky, Paganini, and Sibelius Violin Competitions.
In 2011, Katherine moved to the UK to earn her Master of Performance degree in Orchestral Performance from the Royal College of Music in London. Whilst there she studied with Yossi Zivoni and Gabrielle Lester, and had the opportunity to work with such esteemed conductors as Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Jurowski and Ilyich Rivas. Katherine also developed her passion for education and outreach by becoming an active member of the RCM Junior Sparks program as well as the Tri-borough Music Hub of central London.
In 2013, Katherine had the opportunity to combine her passion for music education with her love of travel by taking a position as a Music Teacher at an International School in Singapore. Here she specialized in early years education and established a comprehensive Suzuki Strings program for students from KG2-Grade 1. She also founded Elementary and Secondary Strings orchestras, arranging music for both ensembles and conducting them in performances and showcases. Katherine became a certified International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) Instructor and in 2014, her contribution to the music program was recognized in her promotion to Interim Head of Music. She is particularly proud of her close work with the Occupational Therapy department to develop and introduce innovative new techniques for improving fine and gross motor skills in young students, utilizing whole-class violin instruction as a platform for early intervention. This formed the basis of her research when Katherine went on to achieve a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Nottingham.
Katherine is a certified Suzuki teacher and lifetime member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. The philosophy of the Suzuki method, centered on positive education and inclusivity, forms the basis of her teaching methodology. Combined with her experience delivering the IB PYP, Katherine prides herself on her ability to adapt her instructional approach to meet the needs of the individual.
In 2016, Katherine moved to Houston to take a teaching position at the Village School where she is teaching group violin classes, conducting orchestras and teaching private lessons. She also maintains a private teaching studio and is currently accepting new students.
