Dr. Katie Smirnova is a Russian-American violinist, chamber musician, and educator whose versatile career brings together performance, teaching, and artistic leadership. Her work includes performances and masterclasses throughout the United States and Canada, reflecting a genuine commitment to both artistic excellence and music education.

Chamber music collaborations with world-renowned artists throughout the United States and Canada include violinist Philip Setzer (Emerson String Quartet), international soloist cellist Colin Carr, violinist Hagai Shaham, Argentine bandoneonist Daniel Binelli (Astor Piazzolla’s New Tango Sextet), and violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson (Pacifica Quartet). Dr. Smirnova is a founding member of Rushmore Concert Artists and a member of the Ventis String Quartet. She performs regularly with regional orchestras including the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, and Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as a guest violist with the Dakota String Quartet as part of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s Lakota Music Project, a collaborative initiative engaging Lakota and Dakota communities through performance and education. In 2024, she was invited to perform as a member of the inaugural chamber music ensemble at the Bellosguardo Foundation in Santa Barbara, contributing to the launch of the Foundation’s public concert and educational programming.

Dr. Smirnova holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from Stony Brook University, where she studied with Philip Setzer and Hagai Shaham. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with Victor Danchenko, a pupil of David Oistrakh, and received her early training at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division under Ann Setzer. As a student, she attended the Heifetz International Music Institute and the Meadowmount School of Music, studying with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Daniel Phillips, and Pamela Frank, and participated in chamber music coaching and masterclasses with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, Vermeer String Quartet, Miro Quartet, and Brentano Quartet, as well as Ralph Kirshbaum, Lynn Harrell, and Steven Doane, among others. Her pedagogical background also includes a two-year Suzuki Association of the Americas Long-Term Teacher Training (Books 1–8) completed through the School for Strings in New York City, one of only two nationally recognized programs offering this comprehensive certification, as well as violin and viola pedagogy coursework at the Peabody Institute with Rebecca Henry.

A dedicated teacher with over 15 years of experience, Dr. Smirnova maintains an active private studio and has given masterclasses and residencies at public and private pre-college music programs throughout the United States and Canada. Her students have been accepted to leading institutions including the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and Indiana University; have earned leadership positions in major youth orchestras; received top prizes at national competitions; and won auditions with professional orchestras in the United States and internationally. Her teaching emphasizes artistic independence, efficient practice, and the development of versatile, thoughtful musicians.

Dr. Smirnova is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Rushmore Music Festival, a nonprofit organization now in its twelfth year dedicated to high-level chamber music performance and education. The Festival presents six-week residential summer programs for pre-college and collegiate musicians, as well as the Rushmore Concert Artists performance series, which features faculty and guest artists in concerts and outreach initiatives throughout the region. Central to her work is a belief in the value of music as a means of community connection; through initiatives such as Project BeethoVAN and performances with Groupmuse, she has been deeply engaged in bringing high-level classical music and mentorship to non-traditional, rural, and underserved communities. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling to U.S. National Parks, and supporting her partner’s artistic projects, including his children’s book The Adventures of Mischievous Max.