Katharine “Katchie” Cartwright
Music Instructor
Northwest Vista College
Katharine “Katchie” Cartwright hasn’t been at NVC long, but she has already made a significant difference in expanding the music offerings on campus. An accomplished musician herself, Katchie has resurrected NVC’s Vista Voices choir and started Orquesta Vista jazz band and the Northwest Winds ensemble.
Her musical groups stay busy performing on campus throughout the fall and spring semesters. She has also learned to utilize the unique spaces the college has to offer while the Palmetto Fine and Performing Arts Center building comes to a completion. It’s not uncommon to see students performing in the outdoor classroom of Live Oak Hall, on the upper deck patio at Juniper Hall or the Cypress Campus Center’s outdoor patio.
The NVC value Katchie most identifies with is learning. Early on in life she didn’t think music would be a viable career option and got away from it for a while. But it took the death of her father in a plane crash to realize life is too short to give up on her goals.
“I realized I couldn’t get rid of my passion. For me, learning is the ideal profession. It’s my desire to know more that inspired me to continue with my schooling and be a teacher. My love of learning made me want to ignite that fire in my students.”
What’s her background?
Katchie was raised in a family of artists in Minisink Hills, PA with her parents and two brothers. Flute was her primary instrument from third grade until the early 1980s. The Delaware Water Gap area where she grew up was home to a number of prominent jazz musicians who became friends and mentors.
What is her educational background?
She received a bachelor of science in music performance from The City University of New York and received a Master of Arts in music from Queens College of The City University of New York.
Cartwright holds a Ph.D. in music (ethnomusicology) from The City University of New York, and has received Fulbright grants for residencies in Greece and Lebanon. She has also performed and conducted workshops in South Asia, West Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
Among her recent publications is “Ramblin’ On My Mind: New Perspectives on the Blues,” for the University of Illinois Press, to which she contributed an essay on Ella Fitzgerald.
Where did she work previously?
Katchie has been teaching since 1992 in various roles as a teaching assistant, fellow and adjunct. From 1998 to 2002 she headed the Improvised Music Studies program at San Jose State University in California.
After several years of commuting from New York City to San Jose (via plane), Katchie said she needed a change and was looking for a tropical-type climate and somewhere less noisy than New York. After visiting NVC and San Antonio in 2006, she said she was sold.
Katchie has also served as chair of the International Association for Jazz Education’s Sisters in Jazz mentoring program for many years, which provided mentorship and performance opportunities. She is currently on the board of the International Association of Schools of Jazz, a Netherlands-based organization of schools of jazz from all over the world developed by renowned saxophonist Dave Liebman, the group’s artistic director.
She has remained active as an artist performing, teaching, researching and consulting in the U.S. and abroad. She and her saxophonist husband, Richard David Oppenheim, perform regularly in San Antonio jazz clubs, both together and individually, and have several albums together.
What’s the best thing about her job?
“To me the best thing about the college is its philosophy of truth which comes straight from the top and having great colleagues to consult. I’m lucky that I came at the tail end (before all the construction) because I got to know folks in some of the different disciplines and I hope we continue with the cross-curricular collaborative initiatives.”
What’s the most rewarding thing about her job?
“It’s the students. At the beginning of the semester I just love seeing my students and when you get close to somebody who is learning and growing, you feel you made a bit of a difference.”
What are her hobbies, interests, etc.?
“Music is my hobby as well as my profession. I’m also a tune junkie. When I have spare time, I learn new tunes. I also love traveling and was able to go to Greece a few times and worked a bit in India, West African/Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and Peru. I love learning about new cultures.”
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