Who is Caitlin?

Caitlin Edwards is a classically trained violinist, arranger, recording artist, and teacher based in Chicago. She began her musical journey at the age of eight within a non-profit organization in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. She later attended the University of Louisville (BM) and DePaul University (MM). Caitlin is a 2023 Sphinx MPower Artist Grant recipient, a 2022 Esteemed Artist Award recipient from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, a 2021 3Arts/Walder Foundation awardee, 2018 Gateways Music Festival Rising Star, a co-curator with the Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and a former fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta. In addition, she has received Grammy certificates for recordings on Disney's "The Lion King" with the Re-Collective Orchestra and for albums by John Legend and PJ Morton. Caitlin is a proud member of the board of directors of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208.

She released her debut album, "Exhale," in 2021. Caitlin is a classically trained violinist, but she's inspired by gospel, jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul. She composes original music and intentionally performs the works of Black composers to help ensure that these composers and their compositions are remembered and spotlighted for aspiring young BIPOC musicians and the world as a whole. Caitlin is a proud member of D-Composed and Ensemble Dal Niente.  For a more detailed list of Caitlin’s work please check out her professional biography and collaborations here.

Caitlin’s current projects include writing and arranging strings for upcoming projects, remote recording for various projects, teaching, performing with her chamber and orchestral ensembles, collaborating with local artists, and composing original works.

Caitlin is available for performances, interviews, and speaking engagements, if you’d like to book her please check out her contact forms here.

Mission

Music is a gift, a force that transcends all of our differences. Music is healing to a broken soul, clarity in the midst of confusion, life to those who seek it. It is my mission to share my gift to all. I will help educate and inspire the next generation of young Black musicians. My dream is to see the normalization of Black voices and faces in traditionally monopolized spaces through increased visibility and disruption of the status quo in classical music. Ultimately, I want people to see themselves in my music, connect, and heal in their own way.