Katherine Palyga is a violinist in the second violin section of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. A member of the OSM since 1997, she studied at Indiana University in Bloomington and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. She was awarded First Prize at the FCMF Canadian National Music Festival, Second Prize at the Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, reached the second round of the ARD Munich International Competition, and received 2 major grants from the Canada Council for the Arts.

A key moment in her prairie childhood that inspired her to pursue a career in music, was attending a performance by a teenage Malcolm Lowe, who later became concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her parents’ love for classical music also played a major role in shaping her path. Outside of music, Katherine enjoys watching ballet, walking her dog, hiking, gardening, and Ukrainian cuisine!