"for me, performing music is painting with sound,"

Hello, my name is Kathryn Patricia Cobbler and I am a violist, performing artist, composer and educator.In my work, I am passionate about being a catalyst for meaningful musical experiences.

​Specializing in performing with and composing for solo viola and loop pedal (a device that allows me to sound like a chamber string orchestra) I specialize in the areas of Classical new music and live improvisation. To date I have written and performed over 40 compositions for this instrument combination.

I started my artistic journey in visual arts and continue to feed both my visual and musical arts practices. As a performing artist and educator, I lead both music and visual arts inspired programming.

As a composer and performing artist, I am a recipient of an Emerging Artist Award for my work. As an artist on the MASC and NAC Artist rosters and performance instructor at Carleton University, I give online and live interactive concerts in concert halls and community spaces alike. As an educator, my work is centred around strings, loop pedals and effects, live improvisation and community music-making.

Hailing from Canada’s Capital region, Loop pedal violist, composer, and educator Kathryn Patricia Cobbler has crafted a singular niche in improvisation and classical performance. She obsesses over creating uniquely arresting soundscapes, whether in solo recitals, composing for theatre, performing in site specific art installations, and more. A recipient of one of Ottawa Arts Council’s Emerging Artist awards, she has been featured in Canada’s capital region’s most notable Concert Series, including Chamberfest, Music & Beyond, and Ottawa New Music Creators’ Analogue Series to name a few.
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​As a seasoned performer and educator, Kathryn is proud to be a performance instructor at Carleton University, ​and on the ​MASC Artist roster​. As a composer, Kathryn has been featured in the Boston based Concert series, ​Castle of Our Skin’s ​Black Composers Miniature Challenge, which resulted in the world premier of her piece A Home Called ‘Wander’. She has also been known to collaborate with other composers, and artists of multiple disciplines, premiering pieces by Canadian composers Mika Posen, and Raphael Weinroth-Browne. Most recently Kathryn Patricia was artist in residence with the Ottawa Dance Directive composing and collaborating for the premiere of Dream & True North envisioned and choreographed by Elizabeth Emond-Stevenson.
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​Initially a visual artist, Kathryn sees the world through shape and line—a vision that has laid the groundwork for many of her musical creative projects. Kathryn’s current explorations of the loop pedal have led to the development of her workshop/concert, Sound In Living Colour, where she draws connection between the technical use of the paint brush and her viola bow, guiding her listeners through a music inspired painting experience. After switching to music as her artistic path, she would receive degrees in viola performance from Western University (B.M.) and the University of Ottawa (M.M.). Ms. Cobbler has also performed as an orchestral musician, appearing within the Toronto Symphony’s Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the Ottawa Jazz Orchestra. A native of Windsor, Ontario, she makes her home in Ottawa. She performs on a viola by luthier Sibylle Ruppert and a Boss RC-30 loop pedal. ​https://www.kathrynpatricia.com/