Nat Chaitkin
Cello
The William K. Laidlaw Trust Chair
Nat Chaitkin enjoys a wide-ranging career as a cellist, teacher and advocate for concert music. He has made several appearances as soloist with orchestra, including a performance of the Schumann Concerto which the Washington Post praised for its “engaging flair and commitment.” He has been heard in recital on CBC Radio, on WFMT Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess series, at the National Gallery of Art and the Banff Centre. He has recorded for Albany Records.
Deeply committed to providing universal access to great music for both students and audiences, Nat is the executive director of The Cincinnati String Project, which offers free weekly private lessons and chamber music coaching to more than 50 students in underserved Cincinnati neighborhoods, as well as accessible, innovative string quartet performances. In 2012, he was awarded the City of Cincinnati’s Artist Ambassador Fellowship, giving him the opportunity to reach under-served audiences by performing in public spaces such as community centers, libraries and offices. His solo program, Bach and Boombox, connects classical cello pieces to pop recordings, to illustrate how all music works the same way.
Nat has taught at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Michigan State University and Georgetown University. He is a member of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and was previously a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony and the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra.
Nat graduated from the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Ardyth Alton. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, as well as a B.A. in History, at the University of Michigan, and a doctorate at the University of Maryland. His teachers included Jeffrey Solow, Nina deVeritch, Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, Evelyn Elsing and David Soyer.
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