About
British-American cellist Katarina Elise leads a dynamic career shaped by diverse projects and musical styles. She frequently appears in performance as a chamber musician, orchestral cellist, and soloist.
Katarina’s chamber music highlights include collaborating with the Shanghai Quartet, Telegraph Quartet, members of the Emerson and Dover Quartets, Steven Banks, Denis Brott and Xiangyu Zhou. She has performed at festivals across the world such as the Danish String Quartet Academy (DK), Sitka Cello Seminar (USA), Domaine Forget (CAN) and the Shanghai Cello Festival (CN).
During her time in China from 2023-25, Elise made her Chinese solo debut at the Shanghai Opera House, presented recitals at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and was the first-place winner of the Tianjin Juilliard Concerto Competition. She regularly appeared on faculty recitals at the school, collaborating with visiting artists and faculty alike.
As an orchestral musician, Katarina appears as a guest player with the Cleveland Orchestra and various orchestras in Michigan and Ohio. She has been invited to perform with touring orchestras such as the Karajan Akademie of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Sinfónica de Mineria of Mexico.
Devoted to outreach, she has performed in juvenile detention centers, hospitals, schools, homeless centers, sexual violence crisis centers, and more. The London Chamber Orchestra presented her an Award of Recognition for her fundraising in their educational programs. She also directs the outreach efforts and grants for the Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists, a chamber music non-profit in Boston designed to connect community with unique programs curated around under-recognized cultures.
As an educator, Katarina is a cello instructor at the University of Michigan, and previously taught chamber music in the Tianjin Juilliard School’s preparatory program. She holds a private studio in Ann Arbor, teaching young children, high school students, and adult players. Her curriculums have been applauded for their ability to unleash the student’s curiosity and cultivate growth through creative learning strategies.
Katarina is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music at the University of Michigan under Professor Amir Eldan. She has been awarded numerous grants from the school for her performance and research, including a Language Training Grant to conduct research in Norway, winter of 2026.
As a child, she was trained at the Royal Academy of Music (UK) and Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program (USA). She holds degrees from CIM and the Tianjin Juilliard School (CN). Her most influential teachers include Yeonjin Kim, Richard Weiss, Charles Bernard, Dane Johansen, and Robert Max.
