American cellist Kate Dillingham made her solo debut with orchestra in Russia in 1998. She was invited to perform as the featured soloist with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra "The Seasons" and with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. She has been described as "a polished performer with the kind of sensitive understanding that can transform merely brilliant playing into moving musical statement."
A student of Bernard Greenhouse, Ms. Dillingham received a full scholarship for her education at Rutgers University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Upon graduating, she appeared in Master Class Video with Bernard Greenhouse which received favorable reviews in both Strings and The Strad magazines.
Ms. Dillingham has commissioned and premiered numerous works of contemporary composers including works of Mikhail Ermolaev Kollontay and Michael Zeiger, both well known in their native Russia. She is active as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States and abroad.
In 1998, following her debut in Russia, Ms. Dillingham returned to study with Maria Tschaikovskaya of the Moscow Conservatory. In the summer of 1999, she completed a master course in Germany with Professor Tschaikovskaya and was hailed in the German press for her performance of the Haydn Concerto in D, as "The very talented cellist from America . . . one to watch for in the future." Shortly thereafter, Ms. Dillingham returned to Russia to perform and record the two concerti of Haydn in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. She went on to tour in Romania and conduct masterclasses in both countries.
In May of 2000, Ms. Dillingham signed with Connoisseur Society Records, which released her recording of the two Haydn concerti with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra "The Seasons" in December of 2001. Ms. Dillingham made her recital debut in April of 2002 at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. The performance included two world premieres; "Chant" for cello and piano by Chicago Symphony composer-in-residence Augusta Read Thomas and "Suite for Solo Cello" by Jennifer Higdon. The press deemed her "an excellent cellist; dignified, intelligent and compelling. An adventurous, dedicated champion of contemporary music, she performed with admirable control, conviction and authority." Ms. Dillingham appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in January 2003 for the 50th anniversary of the museum's Concert and Lectures Series for which she commissioned Guggenheim award winning composer Louise Beach.A second recording for Connoisseur Society which includes works for cello and piano of Debussy, Honegger, and Faure was released in June of 2003.
She can be heard playing the Haydn Concerto in C at www.mp3.com "Kate Dillingham with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra" which has received over 50,000 plays. |
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