JTHS Alumni Spotlight: Casey McGrath, professional violinist

Casey McGrath is a graduate from Joliet Central High School who has dedicated her life to music. McGrath holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received her Master of Music degree in violin performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

She served as concertmaster for the Fox Valley Orchestra for nearly a decade and has appeared as soloist with the Joliet Symphony, the Illinois Valley Symphony, the Fox Valley Philharmonic, the Fox Valley Orchestra, and the Antiqua Baroque Consort, and Tango Espejo, an ensemble dedicated to the authentic performance of works by Astor Piazzolla.

As an orchestral violinist, she has appeared with the New Philharmonic, the Northwest Indiana Symphony, Elgin Symphony, Rockford Symphony, Illinois Valley Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Marion Philharmonic, the Kokomo Symphony, the New Millennium Philharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Pacific, the Opera, Theater, and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy, and as concertmaster of the Salt Creek Ballet.

Casey’s current project is Fiddlerock!, a solo violin show featuring her original arrangements and covers of rock, pop, dubstep, and electronica songs. She has served on the faculties of Joliet Junior College, Lewis University, University of St. Francis, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the OPUS Chamber Music Camp.

Casey is also the author of the book, Performance Anxiety Strategies: A Musician’s Guide to Managing Stage Fright (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016). She plays an Italian (Milan) composite violin (ca.1750), nicknamed "The Laurel”, an electric violin she calls “The Phoenix”, and a beloved fireside fiddle called “The Cypress”.

Her next performance will be at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony’s 60th Anniversary Concert on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium at Joliet Junior College (1215, Houbolt Road, Building K, Joliet). Admission is ten dollars cash at the door.