Kathleen Hovey 

Kathleen Hovey has been passionate about music as long as she can remember, and her musical career has been dedicated to performing and teaching.  She was born and educated in Winnipeg, receiving her early musical training from Anne Pomer James and John Waterhouse.  She continued violin and orchestral studies at the University of Ottawa and was a professional violinist with the Ottawa, Nepean and Kingston Symphony Orchestras and l'Orchestre de chambre de Hull.

Kathleen pursued violin pedagogy studies in Suzuki and Paul Rolland methods and the University of Indiana summer program, and has been very active in music education for youth in Ottawa, Kingston and the Sunshine Coast for over 25 years.  While in Ontario, Kathleen conducted youth string orchestras in Ottawa and Kingston.  She taught string programs in the Ottawa, Carleton and Frontenac Boards of Education, and ran a private studio. 

After moving to the Coast in 1994, she became Conductor of the Sunshine Coast Intermediate and Youth Orchestras from 1995-2002, and from 2007 to present. The youth orchestra has performed in West Vancouver, Kamloops and Squamish, played school concerts on the Sunshine Coast, and even played for the Governor General of Canada.  In the spring of 2012, they joined with the West Vancouver Youth Band String Ensemble to perform at the Whistler Music Festival where they were awarded a gold standing.  

Kathleen has served on the Boards of the Coast Recital Society, Sunshine Coast Festival of the Performing Arts, Sunshine Coast Music Society and Pender Harbour Music Society.  She is a recipient of Gillian Lowndes Award from the Sunshine Coast Arts Council.  

Kathleen is a member of the BC Registered Music Teachers Association, American String Teachers Association and the American Federation of Musicians.  She is presently a violinist with Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra.  She is Conductor of the Sunshine Coast Junior String Ensemble,  and Salix Strings.  She also teaches privately.

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