Cat Cantrell is a nomadic musician based in Los Angeles
Enamored with the magic in orchestral music, Cat performs on oboe and English horn with symphonies in all corners of the US - from engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, to the Sarasota Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic, and more.
As 2nd oboist of the Redlands Symphony, Cat was featured on the February 2021 “Signature Series” virtual program, performing three unaccompanied works. She can be heard on upcoming Redlands programs and around California in the 2024-25 season. Summer engagements brought her playing to the San Diego Symphony, Mendocino Music Festival, Riverside Philharmonic and at the IDRS conference in Flagstaff, AZ.
Thrilled to perform live music, in 2023 Cat worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, West Coast Wind Quintet, Pacific Opera Project, in churches around Los Angeles, and more. She enjoyed stints outside LA with the San Diego Symphony, the Fresno Philharmonic, and Modesto Symphony.
In autumn 2021, Cat was a featured soloist with Double Entendre Music Ensemble in New York City, performing Hugo Kauder’s Improvisation for solo English horn in both outdoor and indoor venues.
Hailing from an Air Force family, she is an eager traveler making as much good music (and eating as much delicious food) as she can along the way. Cat has worked with the Virginia Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Great Falls Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, American Ballet Theatre, and on orchestral tours of China and Europe.
For six seasons she was the English hornist for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in Arizona, while living and freelancing in New York City. During that dual life, she had the privilege of performing multiple times in Carnegie Hall and in every hall at Lincoln Center.
Cat relishes opportunities to work with composers and to elevate new and unheard works - particularly those featuring the English horn. She has worked as rehearsal musician in various composer workshops and in conductor workshops and competitions in New York and Virginia. She loves working with singers of all stripes, and has performed for opera companies, choirs, cabarets, and on albums for Country Western, Bluegrass, Jazz, Pop, Folk, and Metal artists.
Cat has appeared on stage with drag queens, in musical theater pits, and on soundtracks for television and feature films.