Chicago native Katia Sofia Waxman is a clarinetist and arts educator based in New York City. Equally at home with music new and old, Katia enjoys a diverse musical life of solo, small, and large ensemble playing. An avid chamber musician, Katia has garnered awards from the M-Prize, Discover, and Barnett chamber music competitions. She has also deepened her love for small ensemble playing through annual studies at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, an immersive festival for musicians of all backgrounds, ages, and skill levels. She has twice been a performance and community engagement fellow at the Decoda Chamber Music Festival. She also attended the Brevard Music Center, Domaine Forget Summer Music Academy, and the NYO-USA 2017 tour of South America. Committed to shaping a more diverse and equitable classical music landscape, Katia was selected to participate in the pilot class of Oberlin Conservatory’s Music Leadership Career Community. She currently holds a teaching fellowship with Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, a tuition-free pre-college program for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Katia received a B.A. in economics and a B.M. in clarinet performance from Oberlin College & Conservatory, where she studied with Richard Hawkins. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Jon Manasse.

Katia is the recipient of the Hebrew Congregation Music Award and The Bina Edkin Eckerd Memorial Fund for the Fine and Performing Arts.