Katherine Nguyen

Katherine Nguyen is currently a 12th-grade student at Clayton High School. This will be her fourth year participating in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. 

Katherine’s interest in music began at the age of seven when she started playing the piano under Vera Parkins. In fourth grade, she experimented with the violin in her elementary school’s strings program. She quickly fell in love with the music and opportunities that the violin made possible. Pursuing that passion, she began studying under Joo Kim at age eleven. With the violin, she has had the honor to participate in her school’s orchestras, the Community Music School of Webster University’s Young People’s Symphonic Orchestra, CMS’s Preparatory program, the Missouri All-State Orchestra, and St. Louis’s first Credo camp. She received the State Runner-up Award for the 10th-12th grade Strings Categories in MMTA 2023. The same year, she attended the Indiana Jacobs School of Music Summer Strings Academy, where she studied under Pasha Satourio. In December of her sophomore year, she switched to viola, studying under Joanna Mendoza. She was excited by the collaborative elements that viola offered. She became a Co-principal Violist of SLSYO, a National YoungArts Winner, and most notably, one of twelve violists selected for the National Youth Orchestra. As a part of NYO, she toured Asia alongside the nation’s top youth musicians, violinist Ray Chen, and conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Katherine is also the violist for the Raemonia String Quartet, which received the audience prize at the St. Paul String Quartet Competition. 

Beyond honing her craft as a musician, Katherine also enjoys connecting music to the community. She co-leads the Clayton Buskers Club and Tri-M Music Society and is one of the Artistic Directors of the annual Very Asian Concert. She also teaches young students in her district. In her free time, she enjoys drinking boba, listening to music, and spending time with family. She thanks her mentors, Vera Parkins, Joo Kim, Joanna Mendoza, Daniel Henderson, her family, and the music community for the support and guidance they have provided throughout the years.