Ms. Herine Coetzee Koschak

Cellist Herine Coetzee Koschak is on a lifelong quest to engage in meaningful and personal exchanges through music. Herine was a founder of the acclaimed Fifth House Ensemble (2005-2022) and can be heard regularly on local and national radio stations and concert stages, as well as on the Cedille, Naxos and Tzadik record labels. She has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous orchestras including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Nittany Valley Symphony, and International Chamber Artists, and has also performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the renowned new music ensemble, eighth blackbird.

A passionate advocate of equity in arts education, Herine was the Co-Artistic Director of the Suzuki-Alegre Strings program at the Merit School of Music, teaching cello and launching programs for young people residing in impoverished communities. She also served as the lead teaching artist for Fifth House Ensemble in a residency at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center for 8 years, co-creating musical projects with youth experiencing incarceration. She resides in Deerfield, IL with her husband, young son, and Miniature Australian Shepherd.