The Russian flutist Katja Pitelina, who currently lives in The Netherlands, is a versatile musician. On modern and period instruments she plays a remarkably broad repertoire, that reaches from seventeenth century baroque to contemporary music. For every flute composition she chooses the appropriate flute from her rich collection of instruments. Katja Pitelina regularly plays in concert series and festivals, in Holland and abroad, as a soloist, in chamber music ensembles and with modern and baroque orchestras. She performed baroque music with well known musicians like Gustav Leonhardt, Lucy van Dael, Bob van Asperen, Siebe Henstra and Barthold Kuijken, Cassandra Luckhardt, Anthony Romanuck. Her partners in classical chamber music are Lavinia Meijer, Johannes Möller, Emlyn Stam, Voctoria Davies, Anna Karpenko.
Katja Pitelina was born in Moscow. She started her musical education at the prestigious Gnessin Music School at the age of five. During her school years Katja has won several international competitions. Because of her talent she received grants from the Foundation New Names and from the well known trust of Vladimir Spivakov, who invited her to make an extensive tour through Siberia, where she several times has played as a soloist with orchestra.
Katja Pitelina continued her studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow from 1999 till 2005. Among her teachers in Moscow were the flutist Olga Ivusheikova, the pianist Alexei Lubimov and the cellist Natalia Gutman.
From 2001 till 2008 Katja studied at the early music department from the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She finished her education with a master's degree under the guidance of the traverso player, professor Barthold Kuijken. She also had lessons with Kate Clark and Wilbert Hazelzet. Already as a student she regularly received invitations to play in concert series and festivals in several countries.
In April of 2009 she performed in the annual Queen's Concert at the Noordeinde Palace for the Dutch Royal family.
Katja Pitelina is also active as a musicologist. She has translated in to Russian a very important historical treatise about the flute playing and aesthetics of musical performance in 18th century Germany, “Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen” written by J.J. Quantz in 1752. Her translation was published In 2013 in St.Petersburg by "EARLYMUSIC" Publishing House.
Since 2006 Katja plays together with a Japanese historical flute player Reiko Tsuiki. Together they found ensemble “DuoKaleidoscope”. Which performs repertoire spanning more than four centuries from the Baroque period to the present day.
Since 2012 Katja is a solist of The Bach Choir and Orchestra of the Netherlands. In 2016-2017 she performs concerts by Haydn and Mozart with orchestra at the Great Hall of The Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
Since 2014 Katja is playing together with an organist Anna Karpenko. They new CD is in preparation.
Katja annually gives masterclasses and lectures about historical informed performance and history of the flute in particular.