C A T H E R I N E   L I T T L E

C A T H E R I N E   L I T T L E

C A T H E R I N E   L I T T L E

Hi! I'm Catherine.

I love playing music and connecting with people. It's nice to see you here! You can sign up to get my twice monthly 'hello cello' stories and performances emails here or just have a look around. If you're interested in discovering classical cello with me, read on. :)

Photo Credit: Marie Roy Photography: https://www.marieroyphotography.com/

Catherine & Greg

In November 2021, we released our first album together, entitled "Taking Five". Since then we have been working on a new recording project, set to release in 2024. 

Trio KLM

Trio KLM started out of a love for playing chamber music. Getting together to play Colin's arrangements for this low-strings ensemble was a really good time. 


People started asking us to give private and public concerts, as well as live-stream broadcasts, and before we knew it our trio was born.

Video-based Adult Cello Course

Get Ready to Learn the Cello

Over the years I taught private and group cello lessons to a long list of adult students, most of whom were beginners. I learned so much from the experience that I wanted to collect all of the key ingredients to their success and bake it into one online course. I love that it's online because anyone who partakes can access it again and again. 

'Taking Five' wins Classical Album of the Year!

I'm proud to say I was awarded the 2022 Classical Album of the Year from Music Nova Scotia. The album is called 'Taking Five' because it has 5 tracks, the length of each track is about five minutes, and the intention for the music taking time for yourself.

Praise for Taking Five

"Little's expert playing is elegant and well-supported by a fine collaborative pianist, Gregory Myra...  their heartfelt playing displays a delightful melodic exchange between cellist and pianist... throughout, the duo retain their rhythmic pace, eloquently balancing graceful repetition and magical moments."

- La Scena Musicale (Montréal)


"[Catherine's] playing is exquisite - [her] sound and expressive phrasing are so beautiful."

- Hilary Brown, Symphony Nova Scotia


"A great balance of expression and technique. A very enjoyable listen."

-  James Kalyn, Mount Allison University Faculty of Music



Video


Après un rêve, or After a Dream, is the second track on Taking Five.  The music video reflects this dreamy title, capturing the mood of the piece. There are references to the illustration from the album cover throughout.


BIO


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 performed during a six-month period with the cello section of the Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia under the direction of Swiss conductor, Baldur Brönnimann. Catherine also performed with the cello sections of Montreal's Nouvel Ensemble Moderne under Lorraine Vaillancourt, and with Symphony Nova Scotia under Bernhard Gueller, in over 30 concerts since 2015. 


Catherine was the solo “pit” cellist for seven musicals at Halifax'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 around the province of Nova Scotia. 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).


In addition to releasing her début album (Music Nova Scotia 2022 Classical Album of the Year winner), Taking Five,  Catherine performed on the following records:

 

  • Rose Noel, Grandir, Suivre mon coeur & Quatre enfants - from the album,Chansons pour ma grand-mère. (Laura Rae, 2023)
  • Forever Amber - Myles Goodwyn (2021)
  • The Giant - Dave Carroll (2021)
  • Pixelated Skin  - Joyful Talk (2020)
  • Hearth & Home - Ryan MacGrath (2019)
  • In the City - Terra Spencer (2018) 
  • Buttermilk Mary  - The Baroque N’ Fiddle String Quartet (album, 2012)
Artist Bio (list format)
Performances:
  • 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
Recordings:
  • 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)

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