Catherine has an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (2007), and a Master’s in Music Performance from the Université de Montréal (2010). Her university studies covered the history, theory and interpretation of western classical music, as well as practical experience playing for auditions, orchestras, chamber music groups and solo recitals. 

Following her studies, Catherine successfully auditioned for the extras list of the Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia; for five months she performed with the orchestra under the direction of Swiss conductor, Baldur Brönnimann. Catherine has also had successful auditions and performances with the cello sections of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Montreal's Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, including a special live recording for CBC radio, and with Symphony Nova Scotia, in over 30 concerts since 2015. 

Catherine was the solo “pit” cellist for seven musicals at Nova Scotia's Neptune Theatre and has played on stage with pop acts like Jenn Grant, Il Divo, and Rod Stewart. Between 2012 and 2020, she gave numerous classical string duo, quartet and piano trio concerts.

Other projects of note include performing as a cello duo for Phin Dance’s The Grand Hotel in 2013, and in 2016, The Bells of Baddeck, A Music Drama, and Handel’s baroque opera, Rodelinda (Halifax Opera Festival). Catherine’s cello playing can be heard on the following recordings: The Baroque N’ Fiddle String Quartet’s album Buttermilk Mary (2012), Czardas, from Big Turnips, Vol. 2, with violinist/fiddler Anna Wedlock (2018), Terra Spencer’s In the City (2018), the Orchestrated Neighbours project with the Bela String Quartet (2019), Ryan MacGrath’s Hearth and Home (2019), and Joyful Talk’s Pixelated Skin (2020). 

Performances

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• Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, under Lorraine Vaillancourt. Performed and recorded for CBC radio with Montreal’s chamber orchestra (2007-2009) (https://lenem.ca/en)

• I Cellisti, Montreal’s cello choir, directed by cellist Velitchka Yocheva, performance in 2009 (https://www.facebook.com/cello.velitchka/)

• Trio Moka, piano trio. Performed a new work by composer Alan Belkin. (2008-2009). (https://alanbelkinmusic.com/site/en/)

• Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, with the cello section of the under Swiss conductor Baldur Brönnimann, Bogotá, Colombia, 2010 (https://sinfonica.com.co)

• Neptune Theatre solo pit cellist: Sweeney Todd (2012), A Christmas Carol, The Musical (2013), Mary Poppins (2014), Into The Woods (2014), The Addams Family (2015), Beauty and the Beast (2016), and Les Miserables (Studio Theatre, 2018) (https://www.neptunetheatre.com)

• Alert The Medic concerts (2011-2015) (https://www.alertthemedic.com)

• Il Divo (https://ildivo.com)Three concerts on their Maritime provinces tour in 2012

• St. Patrick Goes Classic, string quartet performance at Faith Tabernacle Church, Halifax, 2012

• Piano Trio concert, Allard, Little and Ro, in 2013

• Phin Dance company’s Grand Hotel, performed the music as part of a cello duo Alderney Landing Theatre, Dartmouth, NS, (2013) (https://www.dancens.ca/about-us/partners-and-organizations/member-organizations/phin-performing-arts/)

• Trio Ciel piano trio concert as part of the Summer Sounds at Barrington series in Halifax, NS, 2014 

• Lark Piano Trio concert, 2015

• Rod Stewart (https://www.rodstewart.com) in Cavendish, PEI, 2015. Band Leader for 7-piece string ensemble.

• Symphony Nova Scotia, over 30 concerts with the cello section from 2015-2020. (https://symphonynovascotia.ca)

• Bells of Baddeck- A Music Drama, pit cellist as part of piano trio. Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Baddeck, NS (2016) (https://www.bellsofbaddeck.com)

• Halifax Summer Opera Festival, cellist for performance of Handel’s Rodelinda (2016) (http://halifaxsummeroperafestival.com)

• Dalhousie’s Opera Production of Emmanuel Chabrier's l’Etoile, conducted by Michael Donovan in 2018 (https://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/school-of-performing-arts/our-season/DalOpera.html)

• The Maudes violin/cello duo perform at the Summer Sounds at Barrington Series, Halifax, 2018 (https://downtownhalifax.ca/event/summer-sounds-barrington-2018-maudes)

• Basso Nova Cello/Bass Quartet. Twelve performances, 2017-2019 (https://www.facebook.com/Basso-Nova-552973945061150)

• Kol Nidrei performance for Yom Kippur at Beth Israel Synagogue, 2019

• Jenn Grant in Halifax at the Rebecca Cohn, string trio player, February 2020 (http://www.jenngrant.com)

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• Master’s degree in Music Performance. Université de Montréal (2010) (https://musique.umontreal.ca/accueil/)

• Honours Bachelor of Music in Orchestral Performance. Wilfrid Laurier University (2003-2007) (https://www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-music/index.html)

• Baroque N’ Fiddle String Quartet's album, Buttermilk Mary in 2012 (https://bradreid.bandcamp.com/album/baroque-n-fiddle-string-quartet-buttermilk-mary)

• Lento Maestoso-Vivace, from Dvorak’s Dumky Trio at Studio FMP, 2014 (http://fmpmatrix.com) 

• Big Turnips Volume 2, Duo performance of Monti’s Czardas with violinist Anna Wedlock (2018) 

• With Bela String Quartet for Terra Spencer’s single In the City (2018) (https://www.belastringsmusic.com)

• With Bela String Quartet for Orchestrated Neighbours album (2019) (https://leaf-music.ca/product/lm230/)

• With violinist Anna Wedlock for Ryan MacGrath’s single Hearth and Home (2019) (https://ryanmacgrathmusic.bandcamp.com/music)

• Joyful Talk’s Pixelated Skin (2020) (https://joyfultalk.bandcamp.com)

• The Twelve Days of Music, a project to record duos and trios with musicians in different geographical locations, December 2020 (www.catherinelittle.com/blog)