Member Profile

New York native Kaitlyn Raitz grew up surrounded by an array of musical genres, finding each one more exciting than the next. These passions have led her to a career as a versatile cellist who is equally at home playing Schubert or Sondheim, sitting in on a bluegrass jam or reading a Beethoven string quartet, and performing on stage at New York's Carnegie Hall or Nashville's Station Inn.

Kaitlyn has collaborated with world renowned artists in a wide array of genres - Frank London of the Klezmatics, tabla player Shawn Mativetsky, and bluegrass guitarist and vocalist Molly Tuttle, to name a few. Her playing can be heard on albums by bluegrass guitar virtuoso Billy Strings, the Call of Duty video game series, as well as dozens more major motion picture soundtracks and albums. In 2012, Kaitlyn was invited to perform in cellist Matt Haimovitz’s innovative, GRAMMY-nominated cello ensemble Uccello who she performed with at Carnegie Hall and Berkeley's Cal Performances. Her former folk duo, Bride & Groom, toured Canada and America extensively, growing a sizable audience. Most recently, she began playing with Canadian fiddler Ben Plotnick. The duo, Oliver The Crow, released their first full-length record in June 2018 to critical acclaim. Most notably, NPR called them an “inspired collaboration.”

As a composer, she is most interested in infusing elements of folk music into contemporary classical compositions. She has been a Composer-in-Residence for the Lotus Chamber Ensemble in New York.

Kaitlyn holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Performer’s Certificate from Purchase College, State University of New York where she studied with Julia Lichten and a Master of Music degree from McGill University where she studied with Matt Haimovitz.

Kaitlyn is an endorsement partner with Peluso Microphone Lab.