Bio
An accomplished orchestral, chamber music and solo player, American cellist Kristen Wojcik has performed in countless premier venues around the world including The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and various halls throughout Europe and Asia. Kristen has collaborated with a multitude of internationally-renowned institutions including the Juilliard String Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.
Kristen received her musical education at The Juilliard School where she earned both a Bachelor’s and Masters degree. During her studies she was granted several opportunities including taking part in the first Les Arts Florissants Residency where she studied baroque cello under the guidance of William Christie, David Simpson and Phoebe Carrai. Interested in pursuing different cultural pedagogies, Kristen was also one of the first students to be awarded full scholarship through an ERASMUS pilot program at Juilliard to study with French cellists Roland Pidodarux and Xavier Phillips at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.
Kristen joined the cello section of the Washington National Opera and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in 2012 after being appointed the position by then Music Director Philippe Auguin. During her tenure with the orchestra, Kristen has taken part in numerous world premiers in the world of opera and ballet, and was part of WNO’s first complete Ring Cycle in the spring of 2016. Kristen was given the opportunity to perform solo works including Saint-Saens’ The Swan and Madiba Cello Concerto with various ballet companies in the 2017 season. Outside of her job at the kennedy center, Kristen has taken part in several exciting projects including a recording for the Smithsonian of bartok concerto for orchestra, recitals at the Kentlands Mansion and Dacor-Bacon House, and performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Eclipse Ensemble, and Victory Hall Opera. Kristen currently lives in Washington, DC with her dog, Momo, and cat, Poppy.