Catherine Lehr Ramos relinquished her position with the St. Louis Symphony in the fall of 2013 to pursue a more active teaching and solo career. For 38 years she was Assistant Principal Cello with the St. Louis Symphony, and as such frequently performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the St. Louis area. Previously, she was principal cello with the Xalapa Symphony in Mexico and with the San Diego Symphony. She has appeared as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony, the Hamilton, Ontario, Philharmonic, and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, among others. She has performed in chamber concerts at the Strings Music Festival, the Park City International Music Festival, Innsbrook Music Festival, and the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. As a member of Trio Cassatt, Ms. Lehr recorded string trios by Reger and Taneiev. She also is the featured cello soloist on Chuck Mangione’s album Land of Make Believe.
Catherine Lehr Ramos has been an active teacher since she was a teenager in Ohio. She is presently on the cello and chamber music faculties of Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory and the Community Music School of Webster University. Her students have been featured soloists with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and with community orchestras throughout the St. Louis bi-state region. In addition, her students have appeared on NPR’s From the Top radio program, have been prize-winners in national competitions, and have regularly been members of the National High School Honors Orchestra. Ms. Lehr has coached youth orchestras in the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica. She has given master classes and clinics at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, University of Missouri-Columbia, DePaul University in Chicago, and the Universidad Nacional Autónomo de México. Ms. Lehr was honored by the Missouri String Teacher’s Association in 2008 as Artist Teacher of the Year.
With degrees from Indiana University and the Eastman School of Music, Ms. Lehr is currently pursuing a doctorate at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her teachers have included Janos Starker, Ronald Leonard, Peter Howard, and Carter Enyeart. Ms. Lehr served on the jury of the Second National Cello Competition in Monterrey, Mexico, in December of 2012. She has been a presenter at National ASTA conferences in Kansas City and Louisville, and at the First International Symposium on Latin American Music in Blacksburg, Virginia. In October, 2013, she was granted the Owen Miller Award by the St. Louis Musicians’ Union, Local 2-197, for service, fairness, and contributions to the music profession.