About

Raised in Vienna, Virginia, Katja Yeager began her musical training on the violin with David Strom and switched to the viola at age sixteen, studying with National Symphony Orchestra violist Tsuna Sakamoto. She is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she earned her B.M. and M.M. in Viola Performance as a student of Jeffrey Irvine and Lynne Ramsey. She also holds a minor in Creative Writing from Case Western Reserve University.

Yeager has appeared in leadership and section roles with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony, Owensboro Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Gateway Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Verbier Festival Orchestra, playing under the batons of distinguished conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Klaus Mäkelä, Fabio Luisi, Manfred Honeck, and Charles Dutoit. A member of the inaugural NYO-USA in 2013, Yeager toured with the ensemble to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and London, notably playing in Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. She has participated at summer music festivals including the Verbier Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Castleman Quartet Program, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and LyricaFest. Key mentors include George Taylor, Vicky Chiang, Caroline Coade, and Daniel Foster. Her performance experience includes chamber music engagements with the Nashville Chamber Music Society, Rocket City New Music, Lincoln Center Stage, and The Stones River Chamber Players. She is also active as a studio musician on Nashville’s Music Row, playing on a variety of projects for major brands such as Netflix and PlayStation.

Beyond performance, Yeager is dedicated to music education and has been invited to present masterclasses, lead clinics, and coach chamber music. She is on the faculty at Tennessee State University, Nashville State Community College, Middle Tennessee State University, and has taught previously at The Belmont Academy at Belmont University.