Cellist Megan Koch brings a rich blend of global experience, chamber-music artistry, and dedicated mentorship to this year’s Kingston Chamber Music Festival Spring Concert. Her musical path began at age four in Rochester, New York, but it wasn’t until high school, after a formative masterclass performing Brahms with Yo-Yo Ma—that she realized she wanted to pursue a life in music. She went on to study at the Peabody Institute, where chamber music quickly became the center of her artistic identity, and later earned her Master of Music in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her two years there, working under Mark Sokol and learning from Robert Mann of the Juilliard String Quartet, helped shape her approach to collaboration and ensemble playing.
Megan’s career has taken her far beyond the United States. Through the Carnegie Hall Fellows Program, she traveled to Central Asia to perform and coach young musicians, later expanding her reach to Singapore and Peru. In Iquitos, Peru, she led a weeklong cello residency for students with limited access to classical training, an experience that reinforced her belief in music’s ability to build connections across languages and cultures. “Wherever you go, people are eager to learn,” she says. “And their traditions have so much to teach us.”
Now a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Megan performs throughout New England while maintaining a deep commitment to teaching. Through the Kingston Chamber Music Festival’s Strings Advancement Program, she mentors local high school string players, offering them ensemble support, professional guidance, and a close look at the life of a working musician. Having benefited from formative mentors herself, she sees this work as an essential part of her artistic life.
Megan will join KCMF Artistic Director Natalie Zhu and RIMEA All-State principal cellist Alejandro Quintero Cashore in the 2026 Spring Concert on March 28 at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m., preceded by a 6:00 p.m. student performance, and features works by Nadia Boulanger, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Johannes Brahms. For Megan, the evening reflects everything she values about chamber music—shared
artistry, mentorship, and the sense of community that grows when musicians of all ages and backgrounds come together.
Tickets and details are available at kingstonchambermusic.org/events.
