about

EDUCATION

Ekaterine began her violin studies at eight years old when she was admitted to the Escuela de Arte Manuel Samuell, Havana. In 2009 she graduated from the prestigious Conservatório Amadeo Roldán, in Havana and that year received a Honorary Mention in the International Violin Concourse interpreting works by Max Bruch, Kreisler and Mozart. In 2001, she received second prize in Cuba’s Provincial Violin Competition, performing works by Berit, Accolay and Teleman. As a member of the Cuban Youth Orchestra she played at the Festival de Violin and the Festival de Música Antigua, and at the Festival de Universidad de la Habana for presidents Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.

Upon graduation, she became a member of the Música Eterna chamber orchestra conducted by Guido López-Gavilán, and for several years also performed as a permanent member of the group Frasis Cuba.

In 2017, Ekaterine began studying for a degree in child psychology at the Universidad de la Habana, motivated with the objective of:

• Using music as an educational tool for improving and sensitizing children’s personality.
• Developing auditory perception and expanding the cognitive and phsychomotor areas of children’s personalities.
• Developing musical creativity and skills, musical appreciation, and universal human values.

Upon moving to Mozambique, she transferred her credits to the Maputo University.

PERFORMANCES

Recently a violinist with Cuba’s premier orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional del Gran Teatro de la Habana ‘Alicia Alonso,’ performing with such companies as the Ballet de Camagüey and the world-acclaimed Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Ekaterine has also performed alongside such renowned musicians as Buena Fe, Eliades Ochoa (of ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ fame), and on national tour with Salvadorian singer Álvaro Torres… in classical concert with impresario pianists Frank Fernández and Marcos Madrigal… and for U.S. “people-to-people” tour groups in Cuba, such as National Geographic Expeditions.

She has also participated in numerous radio and television programs, Cubadisco Awards, recordings of DVDs, and the album releases of prominent and internationally acclaimed personalities in Cuban culture: among them, Alexander Abreu, Geraldo Alfonso, Toni Ávila, Laritza Bacallao, Joaquín Betancourt, David Blanco, Decemer Bueno, Pedrito Calvo, Iveth Cepeda, Alejandro Falcón, Aldo López Gavilán, Guido López Gavilán, Liuba María Hevia, Polito Ibáñez, Luna Manzanares, Manolito Simonet, and Gente de Zona.

While teaching in Uruguay (see ‘Professor,’ below), in August 2015 she had the honor to perform works by Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Carlos Estrada as violinist at the invitation of the Orquestra Clásica de Montevideo.

In Mozambique, she has appeared as a guest performer playing Schubert's "L'Abeille" (The Bee) on Mozambique's STV "Noites Vivas," and has performed at numerous concerts, including the Dia Internacional de Jazz Mozambique, and Temporada de Música Clássica 2022.

She is a founding member of the highly acclaimed Basadi ba Mintsu, an “all-woman transnational political art music collective” that has performed at such festivals as Mozambique’s annual Festival Gala Gala, and Fête de la Musique, in Johannesburg. In 2021, Basadi ba Mintsu released the EP, 'Star Woman. Sweat Woman.'

TEACHING

Ekaterine has more than a decade of experience teaching children music in Cuba, Uruguay, and Mozambique, including four years as professor of violin and music history at the Escuela Provincial de Arte Eduardo Abela Villarrea, the provincial music school in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba, where she directed the ‘Cuerdas del Aire’ string orchestra.

In 2015, Ekaterine was privileged to teach in Montevideo, Uruguay, at the invitation of the Escuela Integral de Música Eleusis (owner Gian Di Pirano hired Ekaterine after witnessing her caring and skillful approach to tuition at the Artemisa provincial art school). Here, for nine months she taught as professor of violin, piano and music theory to underprivileged children, fulfilling one of her principle objectives as a violin professor: Using music as an educational tool for improving and sensitizing children’s personalities, developing musical creativity, ability and appreciation, and dedicating herself to the betterment of children’s welfare and human values.

In 2017, she was hired as a professor of music at Musiarte Conservatorio, in Mozambique, where for two years she also administered a program of music therapy for children with emotional, mental, and physical disabilities. Here she was privileged to perform for foreign ambassadors and at private weddings, as well as tutoring autistic children and other youngsters with learning disabilities, as part of the mission of SONÇA International to initiate and to develop innovative and sustainable projects in the field of ARTS with a special focus on performing and educational programs.

Since 2019, she has been a music teacher at the Maputo International School, in Mozambique.