Biography
Described as a "poetic" pianist and a "dynamo," Kathryn Schmidt was born in Swaziland, Africa and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she was the recipient of many awards and bursaries. She has appeared with the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra (USA) and the Mennonite Community Orchestra (Winnipeg). In masterclasses Kathryn has worked with André Laplante, Leon Fleisher, Janina Fiakowska, Angela Cheng, Boris Berman, Julian Martin, Jean-Philippe Collard, among others. Kathryn has studied at the Mozarteum Institute in Austria on scholarships from the Johann Strauss Foundation and the Mozarteum. She has also studied on scholarship at the Banff Centre of Fine Arts. Kathryn has recorded for both the television and film industries. In 2006, Kathryn adjudicated the Upper Island Music Festival in B.C.
A devoted chamber musician as well as a soloist, Kathryn was a Resident Collaborative Pianist at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival (Maine, USA) as well as the Egmont Chamber Music Camp (Egmont, B.C). In 2000, Kathryn assisted Prof. Rena Sharon at UBC, where she guest-lectured and coached Art Song duos. As a collaborator, Kathryn has performed in masterclasses for Graham Johnson, Margo Garrett, Stephen Varcoe, and Midori.
Kathryn has recently earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts (UBC) with a major in Piano Performance and a minor in Musicology, studying with Prof. Jane Coop, Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic and Dr. Vera Micznik. Kathryn currently teaches piano and Keyboard Literature at TWU.
Education
B.Mus., M.Mus., D.M.A. (British Columbia)
Areas of Expertise
Injury Management; Piano Works: Solo and Chamber; Cross-over repertoire: where Jazz and Classical meet
Courses Taught at TWU
Applied Music Lessons - Piano
Keyboard Literature