Katie Kroko

BM Instrumental Performance, Viola
Class of 2010

Katie Kroko began her musical studies with piano lessons at age 5.  After a hiatus from music, Katie studied violin and guitar at the age of 12.  She finally found her true love, the viola, at age 14.  In her high school years, Katie played with such youth ensembles as the Santiago Strings Youth Orchestra, Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Katie Kroko is a viola performance major in her junior year at Chapman.  She came to Chapman University to study viola with Professor Robert Becker.  Under his mentorship, Katie has developed her skills as a soloist, an orchestral player, and a chamber musician.  At Chapman, Katie plays in the chamber orchestra and in several chamber groups.  She also does some freelance playing, teaching, and coaching, as well.

Since her arrival at Chapman, Katie has developed a great interest in and dedication to chamber music.  The revival of the chamber music program at Chapman has facilitated Katie’s exploration of small ensemble collaboration.  From her first chamber music assignment as a sophomore, a permanent chamber group was created.  Katie and her colleagues, Laura Lascoe and Miwa Sugiyama, formed a clarinet, viola, and piano trio in the fall of 2007, and they continue to perform together today.  With the trio, Katie has performed for such events as the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony, Kristallnacht, the Biava Quartet masterclass, and the Bach Festival.  The trio has received coaching from Professor Becker and Dr. Fong, as well as several other guest coaches.  In the 2008 Concerto Competition, Katie received an honorable mention for her performance of the Bruch Double Concerto for viola and clarinet with her colleagues Laura and Miwa.

Every summer, Katie attends Robert Becker’s Viola Workout in Crested Butte, Colorado, to do intensive solo and chamber work with fellow violists.  She has attended the workshop every summer for the past four years, and it is the highlight of her summer.

After graduating from Chapman, Katie plans to attend graduate school and get a master's degree in viola performance.  She hopes to gain a job in a professional symphony and to study and perform in Europe someday.  It is Katie’s great desire to play chamber music professionally.