Katherine Berquist

Katherine Berquist, a Western New York native, began her harp studies at the age of nine. Being raised by a music teacher, Katherine heard music being played at home and attended concerts frequently so it was only natural that she would learn an instrument. Over the years Katherine’s love for the harp grew and she developed an interest in ensemble playing which she pursued, freelancing and performing with local orchestras including the Amherst Symphony Orchestra, Amherst Chamber Ensembles, and the Orchard Park Symphony.

Katherine continued her music education at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. There Katherine discovered a love for teaching through an internship with the National String Project. In this program Katherine excelled at teaching beginning harp students, leading group classes, and introducing students to orchestral playing. At this time Katherine began giving individual lessons to students in the National String Project and soon expanded to include students in the local community. Katherine encouraged a sense of community and support among her students and gave them the opportunity to share their music at community recitals.

During her years at Crane, there were many opportunities Katherine took to improve her ensemble playing and musicianship ranging from accompanying numerous student recitals to being featured in a masterclass with Brooklyn-based Janus Trio, to premiering works written by student composers. As a member of the Crane Harp Ensemble, Katherine had the opportunity to perform at the American Harp Society’s 41st National Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana as a result of winning the Harp Ensemble Competition. She also entered and was a winner of the Chamber Music Competition at Crane, performing as part of a harp duo Caroline Lizotte’s Raga.

Katherine holds a B.A. in Music from the Crane School of Music where she studied with Dr. Jessica Suchy-Pilalis. Previous teachers include Suzanne Thomas and Mario P. Falcao. Katherine’s Suzuki Training includes coursework with Janet (Libby) Armour and Delaine Fedson Leonard.