Catherine (Katie) Birt
Performance - Collaborative Piano
Email: cbirt@uwo.ca
Catherine (Katie) Birt is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in Performance at Western University, specializing in Collaborative Piano. She holds a Master’s in Performance and Literature from Western, as well as Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from Queen’s University.
As a pianist, Katie studied with Dr. Angela Park and has performed in Germany, Italy, Quebec, and Southwestern Ontario. She is currently working as a collaborative pianist in Kingston at Queen's University, playing with The Isabel Voices, and music directing for Crossroads United. She has worked in theatre with Original Kids Theatre Company, Musical Theatre Productions (London), Musiktheatre Bavaria (Germany), and St. Lawrence College’s Musical Theatre Program (Brockville). She previously served as Music Director at Knox St. Andrew's (Dutton, ON).
As a researcher, Katie’s doctoral work explores the intersection of classical performance and climate activism, with a focus on how musicians can contribute to social change through performance practice. She is an Ontario Graduate Scholar and a Canada Council for the Arts recipient. She is passionate about inclusive programming, interdisciplinary collaboration, and music that reflects the concerns of today’s rapidly changing world. Her work is supervised by Dr. Kevin Mooney.
