Natalie Brennecke (24)

Natalie Brennecke is a violist currently pursuing her Masters at The Juilliard School under the guidance of Heidi Castleman and Hsin-Yun Huang. She received her Bachelors from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2024, where she studied with Jeffrey Irvine.

Natalie has participated in masterclasses with Kim Kashkashian, Antoine Tamestit, Emanuel Ax, the Jupiter Quartet, and the Miro Quartet, and has received coachings from various members of the Cleveland Orchestra. She has had the privilege of collaborating with notable artists, including Itzhak Perlman and Charles Neidich, and has engaged with various faculty members at The Juilliard School.

Her accolades include winning the 2024 CIM Concerto Competition, which included a performance of Penderecki’s Viola Concerto at Severance Hall. She also received the 2019 Wendel Irish Viola Award. In 2020, she was a co-winner of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and was featured on “From the Top” as a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist. She received first prizes in the Ohio Viola Society’s Collegiate, Senior, and Junior Division Competitions in 2023, 2016, and 2011, respectively.

As a committed chamber musician, Natalie participated in CIM’s Advanced String Quartet Program with the Estella Quartet. Together, they achieved 2nd place at the 2023 Glass City Chamber Music Competition, were recognized as prizewinners in the 2023 Plowman Chamber Music Competition, and competed in the 2023 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

She attended the Kneisel Hall Music Festival in 2024, the Bowdoin Music Festival as a Fellow in 2023, and the Aspen Music Festival as a Fellow in 2022. She also attended the Perlman Music Program in 2016 and 2017. Natalie currently performs on a viola beautifully crafted by Gabrielle Kundert.