Photo: Jiyang Chen

Natalie Loughran

American violist Natalie Loughran is quickly establishing herself as one of the most versatile young artists of our time. Natalie was awarded First Prize at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition, along with the Audience Award, as well as the BIPOC Composer Prize for her arrangement and performance of William Grant Still’s ‘Mother and Child’. She has also appeared as a finalist for the 2020 Young Concert Artist Auditions, and was awarded a special prize for her performance of the Bowen Viola Sonata in C Minor at the Tertis International Viola Competition. Natalie has also been awarded with the William Schuman prize for her outstanding leadership and achievement in music, from the Juilliard School.

A former member of the Kila Quartet and since May 2024 a member of the Castalian String Quartet, Natalie is a sensitive and passionate chamber musician. She has appeared on WQXR’s series, ‘Midday Masterpieces’, and has performed extensively at Marlboro, Yellow Barn, The Perlman Music Program Chamber Workshop, and Kronberg’s Chamber Music Connects the World. Natalie has collaborated with renowned chamber musicians such as Itzhak Perlman, Dénes Várjon, Donald Weilerstein, Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Tabea Zimmermann, and Nobuko Imai.

In addition to solo performance and chamber music, Natalie holds a deep love of the orchestral repertoire, and has worked as principal violist under the batons of Simon Rattle, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has performed with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, under Gábor Takács-Nagy; toured internationally with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, directed by Ivan Fischer; and performs regularly with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

Natalie earned her Bachlor of Music and Master of Music in Viola Performance at The Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, where she was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Natalie is continuing her professional studies at the Kronberg Academy with Tabea Zimmermann.

Natalie plays on a 1976 viola by Sergio Peresson.