Caroline Ladendorf

Caroline Ladendorf is a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, studying Biomedical Sciences with a minor in music. Ladendorf is excited to be returning to the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra for the 2026-2027 season.  

Ladendorf began learning the violin at the age of 5 through the New England Conservatory (NEC) Preparatory School in Boston, Massachusetts and has since been a member of various orchestras and chamber music ensembles, both there and at the Boston Symphony Youth Orchestras. In high school, Ladendorf served as Principal Second Violin in NEC Prep’s senior-most orchestra and Concertmaster of the String Chamber Orchestra during the 2023-2025 Seasons. At NEC, Ladendorf became a founding member of the Logan String Quartet, performing in various chamber music showcases and performances at NEC and beyond. She has been featured on the New York Public Radio WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase “displaying the talents of young emerging artists”. In 2025, Ladendorf was awarded the Zinaida Gilels Memorial Book Award at NEC Prep “in honor of outstanding achievement and participation”.  

During past summers, Ladendorf has attended the highly-selective chamber music intensive Greenwood Music Camp. This summer, Ladendorf completed a neurogenetics research internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Center for Genomic Medicine.  

Ladendorf is deeply grateful for the unwavering guidance and support she has received from her teachers Kyle Lombard, Kelly Barr, Bojidara Kouzmanova-Vladar, Anait Arutunian, and Peter Jarvis. She would also like to thank music mentors Rebecca Fischer and David Loebel. She currently studies with Professor Lombard at WashU.