Katherine McLin

Violinist Katherine McLin enjoys a diverse and prolific career as a concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Since making her debut with the Oregon Symphony at age 15, she has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras across the country, including numerous premiere performances—most notably A Twofold Dream by Lera Auerbach, performed with the composer at the piano. Recent and upcoming solo engagements include Piazzolla’s Four Seasons and Max Richter’s Four Seasons Recomposed with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra (OH), Brahms’ Violin Concerto with the Symphony of the West Valley (AZ), and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Arizona Philharmonic.

Professor McLin is Concertmaster of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio. Under Music Director David Danzmayr and Principal Guest Artist Vadim Gluzman, ProMusica’s core ensemble of 34 musicians presents seven subscription series annually, along with a summer festival and chamber music events. Recent collaborations have featured renowned artists such as Gil Shaham, Johannes Moser, Rhiannon Giddens, Garrick Ohlsson, Andy Akiho, and Bela Fleck. Deeply committed to the creation and championing of new music, ProMusica has commissioned 70 new works—including a landmark residency with Jon Batiste in May 2024, which featured the world premiere of a commissioned piece performed by the composer at the piano. McLin also serves as Concertmaster of the Arizona Philharmonic with Music Director Peter Bay and has served in titled positions in the Oregon Bach Festival Modern Orchestra, Arizona MusicFest Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, and the Aspen Chamber Orchestra.

As half of the McLin/Campbell Duo with pianist Andrew Campbell and a frequent chamber music collaborator, McLin performs widely across the U.S. and internationally on repertoire spanning over 300 years. She is a regular guest artist at summer festivals including the Rocky Ridge Festival (CO), Saarburg Chamber Music Festival (Germany), Interharmony International Festival (Italy), Chintimini Chamber Music Festival (OR), Festival of the Black Hills (SD), and Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy (CA). Featured conference performances include the American String Teachers Association in a triple concerto with jazz great Regina Carter, International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, International Schoenberg Conference, MTNA, IPAC, and SEAMUS.

McLin appears on 20 recordings with Summit, Centaur, and Opus One labels. Her performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today, NYC’s WQXR, and various national and local stations.

A dedicated educator, McLin has been twice honored by the American String Teachers Association to present violin master classes at their national conference—most recently as the featured artist for the Collegiate Violin Master Class in 2024. She has given master classes at over 50 institutions worldwide, including the University of Michigan, Trinity College London, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, and Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music.

Recognized for her leadership and teaching excellence, McLin was awarded the Evelyn Smith Professorship in Music at Arizona State University in 2016 for her contributions to the profession. She also received the Herberger College of Fine Arts Distinguished Teacher Award in 2004 and was a finalist for ASU’s Professor of the Year in 2007.

Professor McLin earned her doctorate in violin performance from the University of Michigan, studying with Paul Kantor. She holds additional degrees from Indiana University and the Oberlin Conservatory, and was an orchestral fellow at the Aspen Music Festival. Her teachers include Franco Gulli, Josef Gingold, and Kathleen Winkler.