Katia Keefer

Dr. Kateryna (Katia) Keefer is a violinist and psychology professor whose return to music is, in its own way, a living example of the principles she has spent her career studying. Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, she has called Peterborough home since 1999, when she first arrived to study at Trent University.

Katia completed seven grades at a children's music school in Kyiv, specializing in violin, before leaving Ukraine to pursue her education abroad. For nearly three decades, the violin stayed behind, though her love of classical music never did. It was at a concert in December 2023, hearing violinist Victoria Yeh perform, that she felt compelled to return to the instrument. She signed up for lessons with Victoria that same week and has studied with her since, crediting Victoria's insightful and growth-oriented teaching for the ground she has covered in a remarkably short time. Within her first year of returning, she joined the Northumberland Community Orchestra on first violin, an experience she describes as one of her proudest musical moments: a steep learning curve, a challenging repertoire, and the profound joy of making music with others again. She has since performed with the Kawartha String Orchestra and has embraced every opportunity to play alongside other musicians.

Outside of music, Katia holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Trent University, a Ph.D. in Psychology from Queen's University, and completed post-doctoral training at Western University. She returned to Trent in 2015 as a faculty member in the Psychology department, where she researches emotional intelligence, motivation, and resilience, and applies those principles in her teaching to support student learning and well-being.

For Katia, chamber music offers something she describes with characteristic precision: the camaraderie of playing together, the opportunity to learn from one another, and the luxury of being fully present, with nowhere else to be and nothing else to do but make beautiful music.