Kirsten Docter

  • Associate Professor of Viola and Chamber Music

Areas of Study

Education

  • BM in viola performance, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, 1992
  • AD in viola performance, Curtis Institute of Music

Biography

First-prize wins at the Primrose International and American String Teachers Association Viola Competitions launched Kirsten Docter on a career that includes a 23-year tenure with the Cavani Quartet, concerts on major series and festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Australia, and numerous appointments as a master class clinician and teacher.

During her time as violist of the award-winning Cavani String Quartet, Docter performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center, Festival de L’Epau in France, and the Honolulu Chamber Music Society. She appeared in features on the public radio programs Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday and television programs on NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS.

Docter’s festival appearances include performances at the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, Madeline Island, Mimir (in Texas and Melbourne, Australia), Sitka Summer Music, Interlochen, Kneisel Hall, Yale Summer School of Music and Art at Norfolk, and the Perlman Music Program. She has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Jaime Laredo, Alisa Weilerstein, Stephanie Blythe, Nathan Gunn, Alessio Bax, and members of the Cleveland, Juilliard, Takács, Emerson, Borodin, and Amadeus string quartets. Her work can be heard on the Azica, Albany, New World, and Gasparo labels. 

Docter formerly served on the chamber music and viola faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music and has given numerous master classes at universities and music schools. She has been a jury member of the Primrose International Viola, Fischoff National Chamber Music, and Sphinx competitions.

In addition to her position at Oberlin, she is on the viola faculty of the Perlman Music Program and the Madeline Island Music Camp.

Oberlin Conservatory Excellence in Teaching Award (2019-20)

First-prize wins at the Primrose International and American String Teachers Association Viola Competitions

The Cavani String Quartet was also honored with an award from ASCAP-Chamber Music America for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music, as well as Guarneri String Quartet Residency Awards and Chamber Music America Residency Partnership Grants.

Spring 2023

Prin Pvt Viola: — PVST 005
Sec Pvt Viola: — PVST 055
Chamber Music — APST 800
Contemporary Chamber Music — APST 805

Fall 2023

Prin Pvt Viola: — PVST 005
Sec Pvt Viola: — PVST 055
Chamber Music — APST 800
Contemporary Chamber Music — APST 805
Advanced String Quartet Seminar — APST 806

Notes

Oberlin viola faculty present at 2019 ASTA conference

March 5, 2019

Conservatory faculty violists Peter Slowik and Kirsten Docter represented Oberlin's String Department and led master classes at the 2019 American String Teachers Association Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 8 and 9. Professor Slowik taught the viola collegiate master class, while Professor Docter coached the chamber music master class.

News

This Week in Photos: Beautiful Artistry

November 19, 2020

A display of artwork by Studio Art seniors is shown to President Carmen Twillie Ambar. Her walk through Robert D. Baron ’64 Art Gallery was accented by sculptures and vibrant multimedia pieces. This visit is just one of the images featured in this week’s photo series.