Photo by David Haslet

Katherine Frankhauser was introduced to music by her father at a very young age, beginning piano lessons under his tutelage at the age of four. As a child and adolescent, she participated annually in the Allied Arts Festival (now Musicfest Northwest) and was awarded medals for both voice and oboe competition. She was selected, for her extraordinary musicianship, to appear on KPBX radio as a featured winner of the festival. As an adult, her primary musical focus is oboe performance and those who hear her recognize her unique ability to shape music into exquisite phrases.

Katie completed a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, complimented by a minor in music, at Western Washington University in 2003. During her tenure at Western, her playing experience included principal positions in the university’s Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony, as well as wind quintets and other chamber ensembles. She won the annual concerto competition in 2000, resulting in her performance of Mozart’s C Major Oboe Concerto with the WWU Symphony Orchestra.

She is the 2004 silver medal winner for the Young Artist reed division of Musicfest Northwest.

Katie continues to refine her skills in oboe performance, but finds herself distracted by her habit of leaving the country for several months or years at a time. This last year found Katie in both Belize and South Africa. These travels afford her the opportunity to pursue her ever-expanding and intense interest in environmental and social justice concerns.

For more information on Katie’s non-musical life, see her page at the Frankhauser family website or her weblog of her life in Belize.