Kate Dillingham, Cellist

American cellist Kate Dillingham made her first appearance with orchestra in 1998 with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra "The Seasons" at the Gneissin Institute in Moscow and with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic at the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has been described as "a polished performer with the kind of sensitive understanding that can transform merely brilliant playing into moving musical statement."

In 1998, following her debut in Russia, Ms. Dillingham returned to study with Maria Tschaikovskaya at 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. She can be heard playing the Haydn Concerto in C at www.mp3.com "Kate Dillingham with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra" which to date has received over 50,000 plays. In December of the same year, Ms. Dillingham collaborated with pianist Blair McMillen on her second recording for Connoisseur Society Records which included works by Debussy, Honegger and Fauré.

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 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."

In May 2002, she was invited to perform at the Supreme Court of the United States for the celebration of "Some Memories of a Long Life" by Malvina Shanklin Harlan published by Random House. In September, Ms Dillingham traveled to Russia to record concerti by Victor Herbert and Witold Lutoslawski, Dvorak's "Silent Woods" and Higdon's "Soliloquy" with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alexei Kornienko. Ms. Dillingham appeared in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium 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.