Originally from Wear Valley in County Durham, UK creative Catherine Holbrook is currently based in the small brewery town of Tadcaster. Catherine is a community musician & mixed-media artist. She teaches piano privately, leads instrumental masterclasses, runs chamber music courses and delivers creative community and education projects both in person and online.
Catherine’s work as Artistic Director of York’s popular open-access community orchestra the All Seasons Orchestra has gained her an international reputation both for the quality of her musicianship and for her dedication to building thriving creative communities. Skilfully combining her skills as a pianist, composer, conductor and artist, Catherine works in a refreshingly unique way and has a gift for sharing her skills and inspiring others to explore their creativity. Catherine is privileged to have studied bassoon with Northern Sinfonia’s Stephen Reay & Manchester Camerata’s Laurence Perkins and to study piano with Stuart Insley and Stephanie Cant – being able to trace her piano teaching heritage back to Clara Schumann. Some of the highlights of Catherine’s performing career include playing principal bassoon in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; orchestral conducting in Durham Cathedral; performing frivolously indulgent piano duets in Castle Howard alongside Two for Tea duetting partner Laura Frances Jones; and playing barefoot premieres of her own compositions for solo piano in Selby Abbey.