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Cristi Catt

Assistant Professor
Affiliated Departments
Professional Music
Faculty Bio E-Mail
ccatt@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-6613
Personal Websites
Cristi Catt's Website

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Cristi Catt is a singer and improviser with a passion for medieval and oral/folk traditions. She's known for creating vocal lines over the grooves of ensembles such as Blue Thread, Telltale Crossing, and Le Bon Vent. She has earned praise such as Mark Swed from the L.A.Times writing “the stunning solo excursions by Cristi Catt were as radiant and exciting as any singing I’ve heard all season,” and Mary Berry at Gramophone Magazine saying "The high soprano (Cristi Catt) has captured the spirit of Hildegard with extraordinary insight." A cofounder of the vocal ensemble Tapestry, winner of Chamber Music America’s Recording of the Year, Catt has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America, and has recordings out with Telarc, Naxos, Erato/Time Warner, MDG/Koch, and several indie recordings. A two-time Luso-American Foundation grant recipient, she has researched and performed medieval Gallego-Portuguese Cantigas de Amigo and their cousins for over 20 years. She teaches at Berklee and New England Conservatory. The author of The Kinesthetic Singer: Lessons on Singing from Yoga and Basketball, she presents workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Career Highlights
  • Cofounder of the vocal ensemble Tapestry with four Telarc and two Musik Produktion Dabringhaus und Grimm Recordings
  • Recent independent recordings with Blue Thread and Telltale Crossing
  • Performed Steve Reich's Tehillim for his 70th birthday celebration with the Colorado Symphony conducted by Marin Alsop
  • Author of The Kinesthetic Singer: Lessons on Singing from Yoga and Basketball
  • Raised over half a million dollars for the renovation of Edward Pickman Concert Hall at the Longy School of Music
  • Cohost of the Spotify podcast Faces of a Woman
  • Yoga Alliance 200-hour registered yoga teacher and designer of the Catt Singer’s Yoga Series, which was presented at the New England Conservatory, the Longy School of Music, and workshops in the U.S. and abroad
  • Completed the Core Health and Wellness Coach Training program, Wellcoaches School of Coaching
Awards
  • Winner of the Chamber Music America Recording of the Year
  • Dean’s Award for Creative Scholarship and Professional Contributions
Education
  • Post-graduate studies at Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Rotary scholar
  • M.M., Longy School of Music of Bard College
  • B.A., University of Kansas
In Their Own Words

“My style of teaching is active and collaborative. I encourage students to learn by doing, improvising and adapting with the learning process so that it is a creative endeavor that is meaningful to the individual. I strive to provide students with practical tools while encouraging them to think big and long-term. I hope my students come away with a heightened sense of their own possibility and the inspiration to tackle life creatively.” 

“In Movement for Musicians, my focus is on wellness, flexibility, strength, improvisation, and artistic expression. As a private voice teacher with a home studio as well as one at New England Conservatory, I mentor private teachers with all levels of experience as we explore the art of teaching along with practical issues around setting up a private studio business. In the Artist Entrepreneur, I encourage students to think long term as they articulate their story as an artist with a mission, a leader, and a creative thinker. As someone who is always in the midst of one project or another, the course's capstone project is a welcome opportunity to mentor seniors as they prepare to leave Berklee and begin or continue their professional career..”

"I am a working artist operating in the live performance, recording, publishing, wellness, and education industries. This allows me to connect easily to those aspiring to create a sustainable multi-stream career in the music industry. As artistic director of a nonprofit arts collaborative, I share my experience of what is needed behind the curtain to keep the show running in a sustainable and healthy way. My training in wellness informs my professional and personal life, and I encourage students to develop and incorporate their own wellness habits and structures into their lives."

Additional Related Links
Huffington Post: Musicians and What They Carry

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