.png)
n award-winning flutist, content creator, and educator, Katherine (Katie) Lee Althen enjoys a rich career with a multifaceted impact on the arts. Widely recognized as a unique musician, the Boston Musical Intelligencer has praised her performances for their “great sinuous magic,” while flute legend Paula Robison describes Katie as “a true, intelligent artist with a wonderful sense of humor and awareness of life’s surprises.”
A Juilliard graduate, she has performed alongside Sir James Galway during his live 75th birthday celebration and shared the stage with Renée Fleming. She appeared on the exclusive 2018 run of Rocktopia on Broadway, a fusion of classical and classic rock music. She has also performed across the United States, appearing with the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, York Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra Now, Berks Sinfonietta, Artosphere Festival Orchestra, among others, as well as with the chamber music ensemble Frisson, with whom she toured across five US states and Bermuda. She has presented recitals across the US East Coast, as well as in México and Argentina, and is a founding member of the NYC based Sonora Collective.
.png)
Eager to diversify her impact, Katie is known to a wide audience for her contributions to the flute community on Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok, where she has amassed over 230k followers and subscribers, as well as over 30 million views. On Instagram she uses her platform to serve as a mentor to younger musicians and she currently serves as a Brand Ambassador for the Flute Center of New York. Having grown her account since the summer of 2014, she is recognized as both one of the first flute Instagram content creators as well as the originator of the #flutelyfe hashtag, and can be found @katieflute. On YouTube, she produces content demonstrating flutes from the Flute Center of New York, as well as full-length performances, vlogs, and practice tips.
Since her early days on the school bus voraciously consuming Beethoven symphonies via Walkman player, Katie has eagerly sought out how to bring the joy she experiences with music to everyone. As a student, she gave intimate performances with fellow colleagues to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and was deeply moved by the experience. She has thereafter actively sought to continue contributing to the community—since then, she has given performances in assisted-living facilities, high schools, and food banks in Boston and her hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania. Her community outreach efforts have been supported by grants from the New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School. Most recently, she performed a duo recital for a sold-out audience in Guadalajara, México benefiting the “Adopte una Obra de Arte” organization.
A firm believer in sharing her talent and love of music, Katie maintains an online private flute studio where she teaches students from 6 to adult. Previously she was faculty at Musart Music and the Great Neck Music Conservatory. She has presented masterclasses throughout Argentina and is an Artist Faculty member of The Charles Ives Music Festival at the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra.
Katie is from outside of Reading, Pennsylvania, and holds a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, with additional studies at the Peabody Conservatory. Her principal teachers include Robert Langevin, Paula Robison, and Marina Piccinini. She is the winner of the Yamaha Prize at the 2011 Julius Baker Masterclasses, won third prize at the 2016 New York Flute Club Competition, and was a 2018 Astral Artists Finalist. She plays on a 9-karat rose gold Muramatsu flute and a copper-alloy Trevor James alto flute.
When she's not making music, Katie enjoys taking ballet class and studying Spanish. Katie lives in NYC with her fiancé, violinist Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez, and their Havanese dog, Miguel.
.png)
