Harpist Katherine Ventura has performed throughout the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member.   She has performed in some of the most prestigious halls in the world including Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Spain, Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan.  

An experienced orchestral musician, Katherine has performed as guest principal harp with the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Houston, St. Louis, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), and the Rochester and Fort Wayne Philharmonics.   She has performed with the Chicago Lyric Opera, Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, Sun Valley Summer Symphony (ID), and the Charlotte (NC), Colombus (OH), and New World Symphony Orchestras. 

Katherine has worked with such conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Iván Fischer, James Gaffigan, Valery Gergiev, Marvin Hamlisch, Riccardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Gianandrea Noseda, Yuri Temirkanov, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Japp van Zweden.  She has performed with soloists such as Joshua Bell, Stéphane Degout, Julia Fischer, Thomas Hampson, Leonidas Kavakos, Anna Netrebko, René Pape, and Bernadette Peters.

Katherine has been Principal Harp of the Verbier Festival and Verbier Chamber Orchestras (Switzerland) for three summers, and has also performed at the Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, SC, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, as well as Principal Harp with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado.  She has performed as soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon and Roosevelt University Orchestras, and the Lake Forest Symphony.  

Passionate about music education, Katherine is a Teaching Artist for the Lyra Society, a nonprofit organization founded by Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Harpist, Elizabeth Hainen. The Lyra Society introduces the harp to underserved students in the Philadelphia community.  Katherine previously held faculty positions at the Music Institute of Chicago and The People’s Music School in Chicago, while she maintained a full private studio in addition to being the Harp Coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Ventura is certified in Suzuki Harp Book 1 and has completed additional Suzuki training. 

Katherine moved to Philadelphia in August 2019 to study towards a Doctorate in Musical Arts on full scholarship as a student of Elizabeth Hainen. She received her Masters Degree in Music Performance from Roosevelt University, Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2010 as a student of Sarah Bullen, Principal Harp, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Ventura received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Music Performance from Carnegie Mellon University in 2008, where she studied harp pedagogy and performance under Gretchen Van Hoesen, Principal Harp, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.