kallie sugatski, viola
Kallie Sugatski is a member of Hotel Elefant, and performs regularly with International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Ballet, New Jersey Symphony, New York City Opera, Riverside Symphony, Talea Ensemble; and at Lion King and Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. A fierce advocate for contemporary music, she works with today’s leading composers, and has performed over 300 new works and more than 150 world premieres.
Feminist Counterpoint, Kallie’s solo project, champions music written in her lifetime by women, trans, and nonbinary composers. Through this project, she amplifies underrepresented voices by commissioning new works, reinforcing the existing repertoire, and reaching new audiences through lecture/recital style installations in nontraditional venues. Feminist Counterpoint concerts have included a standing room only performance at the 2018 New Music Gathering, an amplified recital in Times Square, a concert/workshop at Girls Rock Camp, and a two week West Coast tour. This year’s solo shows feature works for viola and electronics at Symphony Space’s Bar Thalia series, and music for viola with projections at Areté Gallery.
Kallie’s 2018-2019 season includes performances and masterclasses as guest artist of the Arthur Russell Festival for Creative Music Making, traditional Cuban music concerts as guest violist of Toomai Quintet, and the release of Forrest Pierce’s string trio for New Focus Recordings. Performances outside of NYC include a Pacific Northwest tour with Gyda Valtysdottir, workshops and residency at DePauw with ICE, and concerts with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Kallie is the violist of Osso String Quartet and a founding member of the Fair Trade Chamber Music Society. She appears often with Toomai String Quintet, Ensemble LPR, and the Fair Trade Trio. She was a member of New World Symphony, where she was co-principal violist under the baton of Michael Tilson-Thomas, and gave her solo debut as part of their John Cage festival. A creative and enthusiastic improvisor, Kallie also enjoys playing, singing, and recording non-classical music with artists such as Ben Folds, Norah Jones, Ray Lamontagne, Ambrose Akinmursire, Snarky Puppy, Andrea Bocelli, and Stevie Wonder. She has been featured on NPR twice, both as a soloist and chamber musician.
Kallie is a native of Portland, Maine and holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music studying with Karen Ritscher. In her spare time she is an ultralight long-distance backpacker, apartment gardener, and Citi Bike enthusiast.
