Official Program Biography (long and short versions)

Catherine Ramirez - Long bio (696 words)

Recognized for her “sensitive and artistic” (Flute Talk Magazine) performances as “a communicator through music” (American Record Guide), flutist Catherine Ramirez has captivated listeners from her roots along the U.S. Southern border to audiences around the world. Catherine has performed as a soloist and chamber musician at such venues as the Beijing Concert Hall (China), Teatro del Giglio (Italy), Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall (NYC), the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre (Washington, D.C.), Preston Bradley Hall (Chicago), Zilkha Hall (Houston), Zipper Hall (Los Angeles), and Temple Square (Salt Lake City), as well as “The Barn” of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (CT), and the artist lofts of Lowertown in St. Paul (MN).

Equally at home with symphony, ballet and opera orchestras, Catherine has performed with the El Paso Symphony, El Paso Opera, Juarez Symphony (Mexico), Las Cruces Symphony, Houston Ballet, Vermont Mozart Festival, Mill City Summer Opera, Minnesota Sinfonia, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. The strength of her adaptability, honed through diverse musical ventures, extends to musical theatre and popular music, including recent performances in the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand show with “Weird Al” Yankovic, “The Who” on their Moving On Tour, the Broadway musical “Phantom of the Opera” Tour (MN), and “Into The Woods” at the Guthrie Theatre.

A winner of three top prizes at the “Città di Padova” International Music Competitions in Italy, a First Prize at the New York Flute Club Young Artist Competition, a Global Music Award for Outstanding Achievement, a Minnesota State Arts Board Artists Initiative Grant, an Ernst Krenek Society Recording Prize, a New Music Grant from the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust, and a SphinxConnect Fellowship, Catherine recently won a McKnight Fellowship for Musicians - in recognition of artistic excellence and a distinctive musical voice - and a Sphinx MPower Artist Grant to record “Claiming Space,” an album of solo flute music by Black and Latinx composers from South, Latin and North America.

Catherine is also a dedicated educator and member of the flute community. She has a Special Appointment as Artist-in-Residence at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she has taught flute and chamber music since 2010. She has served as president of the Upper Midwest Flute Association, as a member of the Cultural Outreach Committee of the National Flute Association (NFA), and is currently Chair of the NFA Pedagogy Committee. Catherine has adjudicated and coached for the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and has taught youth to graduate flute students in masterclasses in the U.S., Italy, Colombia, and China.

Motivated to give back to communities in which she has lived, Catherine taught middle school band in El Paso, organized a concert series of accessible Latin and South American chamber music for Houston’s ‘at-risk’ youth, performed for nuns in Bogotá (Colombia), and played a tailored program for cancer patients and therapists at mental health clinics in Minnesota. She has offered her perspective on the Diversity and Inclusion Panel of the NFA, the ‘Greater Than’ Faculty Mental Health Panel (St. Olaf College), and the Houston Hispanic Forum (Hispanic Career and Education Day at the George Brown Convention Center). She has released two recordings: Transformation (independent) and Shelter From The Storm (Albany Records). Her performances have been broadcast on WFMT, KUHF and MPR radio, and her research on optimal musical communication has been featured on the cover of The Flutist Quarterly and in The Flute View online magazine.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Colombian and Mexican-American parents, Catherine grew up in the U.S.-Mexico border city of El Paso, Texas. She began playing the flute in the sixth grade public school band, and started private flute lessons at age 18. She earned performance degrees from Occidental College (BA), the Boccherini Music Institute in Italy (Honors Diploma), Queens College (MA), Yale University School of Music (MM), and Rice University (DMA). Her major teachers include Melissa Colgin-Abeln, Gary Woodward, Marzio Conti, Tara Helen O'Connor, Ransom Wilson and Leone Buyse. A lover of travel and languages, she resides with her husband and their two dogs in Minnesota.

Since 2019, Catherine Ramirez plays on a Lillian Burkart Flute with a Tobias Mancke Headjoint. For more information, please visit www.catherineramirez.com.

October 2024

© 2024 Catherine Ramirez. All rights reserved.

Short bio, 299 words

Flutist Catherine Ramirez has captivated listeners from her desert roots along the U.S. Southern border to audiences around the world. Having earned three international competition prizes in Italy, a New York Recital Debut, and a McKnight Fellowship for Musicians - in recognition of artistic excellence and a distinctive musical voice - she recently won a Sphinx MPower Artist Grant to record “Claiming Space,” solo flute music by Black and Latinx composers from South, Latin and North America. She has performed at such renowned venues as The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, and the Beijing Concert Hall, as well as with such ensembles as the Chione Wind Quintet, Sunriver Music Festival, Vermont Mozart Festival, Juarez Symphony (Mexico), El Paso Symphony, Minnesota Sinfonia, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. As a dedicated educator, she holds a Special Appointment as Artist-in-Residence (Flute) at St. Olaf College (MN), has been an adjudicator and coach for the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and has taught youth to graduate flute students in masterclasses in the U.S., Italy, Colombia, and China. Giving back to communities which have supported her, Catherine taught middle school band in El Paso, organized a concert series of accessible Latin and South American chamber music for Houston’s ‘at-risk’ youth, performed for nuns in Bogotá, played a tailored program for cancer patients and therapists at mental health clinics in Minnesota, and played diverse programs for college communities throughout the United States. Catherine has also mentored young adults through the National Flute Association and Posse Foundation. Her performances have been broadcast on WFMT, KUHF and MPR radio, and her research on optimal musical communication has been featured on the cover of The Flutist Quarterly. Catherine aims to invite hope, connection, and inspiration through the power of music.

October 2024

Short bio, 150 words

Flutist Catherine Ramirez has captivated listeners from her desert Southwestern roots to audiences around the world. Having earned three international competition prizes in Italy, a New York Recital Debut, and a McKnight Fellowship for Musicians, she recently won a Sphinx MPower Artist Grant to record “Claiming Space,” her most recent album of music from South, Latin and North America. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at such venues as the Teatro del Giglio in Italy, Beijing Concert Hall, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, as well as in such varied locations as public schools, rural libraries, and urban artist lofts. Equally at home with orchestras, Catherine has performed with such groups as the Sunriver Music Festival, El Paso Symphony, Minnesota Sinfonia, Minnesota Opera, and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She holds a Special Appointment as Artist-in-Residence at St. Olaf College. For more information, please visit, www.catherineramirez.com.

October 2024

Short bio, 64 words

Catherine Ramirez is a three-time international prize-winning flutist and Artist-in-Residence at St. Olaf College. An active solo, chamber, and orchestral performer and teacher, she has concertized and taught on four continents to high acclaim. She serves communities through outreach endeavors and her work on optimal musical communication has been published in major print and online flute magazines. For more information, please visit, catherineramirez.com.

October 2024

Very Short Bio, 300 characters

Catherine Ramirez is an international prize-winning flutist and Artist-in-Residence at St. Olaf College. An active solo, chamber, and orchestral performer and teacher, she recently earned a McKnight Artist Fellowship and Sphinx MPower Artist Grant. For more information, see www.catherineramirez.com.

October 2024

INTERVIEWS

PERSEVERANCE AND PRIORITIES: A CONVERSATION WITH CATHERINE RAMIREZ
https://thefluteexaminer.com/perseverance-and-priorities-a-conversation-with-catherine-ramirez/

ON LISTENING AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN
http://ldswomenproject.com/interview/on-listening-music-and-what-it-means-to-be-human/

PROFILE on THE JOHN GUIDA FOUNDATION
http://guidafoundation.org/featuredstudents/catherineramirez.html