Kaitlyn Raitz

New York-born Nashvillian Kaitlyn Raitz grew up surrounded by a wide array of musical genres, finding each one more exciting than the next. These passions have led her to a career as a versatile cellist who is equally at home playing Schubert or Sondheim, sitting in on a bluegrass jam or reading a Beethoven string quartet, and performing on stage at Carnegie Hall or the Grand Ole Opry.

Kaitlyn has collaborated with world renowned artists in a wide array of genres - trumpeter and composer Frank London of the Klezmatics, North Indian classical music tabla player Shawn Mativetsky, and country music singer and songwriter Brandy Clark, to name a few. Her playing can be heard on albums spanning from bluegrass to video game soundtracks. Her former folk duo, Bride & Groom, toured Canada and America extensively, growing a sizable audience. Her current duo with fiddle player Ben Plotnick, Oliver the Crow, released their first full-length record in June 2018 to critical acclaim. Most notably, with NPR calling them an “inspired collaboration.”

Raitz’s debut solo album “Me, Myself, Myself, and I” was born out of her time in isolation during the pandemic. Struggling to find inspiration and purpose amidst a world with no live music or collaboration, she set a goal of composing and releasing one cello ensemble composition a month. “I’ve learned a lot about myself as an artist and human being over the pandemic, the least of which is that the act of playing for an audience is such an important part of why I play music,” Raitz admits. “I really value the impact my music has on other people. Being able to release one of these tunes every month feels like a mini-performance. It has been scratching that same itch as performing live.” These pieces combine the technical and extended techniques of contemporary classical music with with folk and pop melodies and chord progressions, solidifying her place among the ever expanding group of innovative cellists around the world.

"Me, Myself, Myself, and I" has been streamed over 4 million times and is also a sold out (over 200 editions) genesis collection on music NFT platform Mint Songs. She has performed the music from the album live live with cello quintet at Ottawa Chamberfest, 21C Hotel in Louisville, Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, and at the New Directions Cello Festival.

Currently minting, her generative string quartet "Element," with artwork from Jana Stýblová, is the first classical Music Blueprint on Async.art.

Kaitlyn was the 2020 Composer in Residence for the Lotus Chamber Music Collective in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree and a Performer’s Certificate from Purchase College, State University of New York where she studied with Julia Lichten and a Master of Music degree from McGill University where she studied with Matt Haimovitz.