Our Team
Jacqueline Kitzmiller
Violinist | Director of Operations
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Heralded for her “sweetness of tone, maturity, and daunting technique” (Cincinnati Enquirer), Jacqueline made her solo debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at 18. She received a Bachelor of Music from Rice University and a Master of Music from Indiana University, where she also served as a Graduate Assistant Instructor. Her principal teachers include Gabriel Pegis, Paul Kantor, and Alexander Kerr. She has also worked with members of the Juilliard and Cleveland Quartets and Menahem Pressler, at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, and Interlochen.
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An avid devotee of chamber music, Jacqueline was a member of the Azure Quartet, prizewinners at the MTNA National Chamber Music Competition. She has also served as concertmaster of the Schleswig- Holstein Music Festival Orchestra, during their tour of China. She is Principal Second Violin of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, as well as a former member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. She performs regularly with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.
A firm believer in the integral link between classical music and community, Jacqueline organized a free, outdoor performance at Cincinnati’s Mount Storm Park at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, she organized “A Sunday for Sarah,” an afternoon of chamber music featuring current and former members of the Cincinnati Symphony, to benefit the Cincinnati Alzheimer’s Association, and in memory of her mother and brilliant musician, Sarah Kitzmiller, who passed away from Early-Onset Alzheimer’s 2018.
When Jacqueline is not playing violin, she enjoys reading, swimming, and listening to podcasts with her two cats and retired racing greyhound, Clementine.
Contact Jacqueline: jacqueline@cincinnatistringproject.org
Maggie Niekamp
Violinist | Director of Communications
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Maggie Niekamp, violinist, is an active performer and teacher in the Midwest. She received her Master’s in Violin Performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Timothy Lees, former Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony. Maggie received her BM degree in Violin Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Stephen Rose, principal second violinist of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Brian Lewis.
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Maggie began playing the violin at the age of four in her hometown of Akron, Ohio. Her music festival experiences have included summers spent at the Meadowmount School of Music, as well as fellowships with the Chautauqua Music School Festival Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra.
Maggie’s love for chamber music was nurtured through studies at CREDO summer music festival in Oberlin, as well as working with members of the Cleveland, Cavani, and Ariel Quartets. In addition to performances as a member of the Cincinnati String Project, she has enjoyed performing in chamber music settings in Cincinnati as a part of the Immaculata Chamber Music Series, and as a member of the Clifton Chamber Players.
An avid orchestral musician, Maggie currently holds the position of Section Violin in the Dayton Philharmonic and serves as an Associate Violin Member with the Columbus Symphony. She enjoys performing with orchestras throughout the Midwest and has served as a Section Violin Member with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra. In her free time, Maggie enjoys practicing yoga, running, and cooking.
Contact Maggie: maggie@cincinnatistringproject.org
Jenny Gaffney
Violist | Director of Education
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Jenny Gaffney is an avid violist and educator, performing and teaching throughout the midwest. Growing up in Cincinnati, Jenny began playing viola in the fourth grade. She later studied with members of the Cincinnati Symphony before earning her Bachelor’s and a Performance Diploma at Indiana University under the tutelage of Edward Gazouleas and Li-Kuo Chang.
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As a chamber musician, Jenny has worked with the Pacifica Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and the Ariel Quartet. Jenny has spent multiple summers studying chamber music at the Cincinnati Young Artists program and the Encore Chamber Music Institute. These experiences have developed a deep love of chamber music and an insatiable desire to learn more. As an orchestral musician, Jenny regularly performs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra.
An enthusiastic educator, Jenny spent two years as a teacher at the Fairview Violin Project, a program teaching violin classes in an elementary school in Bloomington, Indiana. Jenny also spent a year teaching students in the Dominican Republic over Zoom through the IU Distance Teaching Learning Lab. She strongly believes music education should be easily accessible to all.
Jenny is proud to say she started on the viola! When she is not playing her instrument, she enjoys being outside, extending her 570 day Duolingo Streak, and walking other people’s dogs.
Contact Jenny: jenny@cincinnatistringproject.org
Nat Chaitkin
Cellist | Executive Director
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Nat Chaitkin enjoys a wide-ranging career as a cellist, teacher, and advocate for concert music. He has made several appearances as a soloist with orchestra, including a performance of the Schumann Concerto, which the Washington Post praised for its “engaging flair and commitment.” He has played recitals broadcast on Radio Canada and Chicago’s WFMT, as well as at the National Gallery of Art and the Banff Centre. He has recorded for Albany Records.
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Nat grew up in New York City and graduated from the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. He received degrees in music and American History at the University of Michigan, and a doctorate at the University of Maryland. His cello teachers included Ardyth Alton, Jeffrey Solow, Nina deVeritch, Erling Blöndal Bengtsson, Evelyn Elsing and David Soyer. He also studied at the Tanglewood and Salzburg Festivals.
After college, Nat moved to Washington, DC and became a member of the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra. He also taught at Georgetown University and became a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He later taught at Michigan State University and was a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony. Nat is currently a member of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.
In 2012, Nat was awarded the City of Cincinnati’s Artist Ambassador Fellowship, giving him the opportunity to reach underserved audiences by presenting his innovative program, Bach and Boombox, in public spaces around the city, including community centers, libraries and offices.
Contact Nat: nat@cincinnatistringproject.org
Hollie Greenwood
Bass Instructor
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Hollie Greenwood is a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she studied with Rachel Calin to receive her Master’s degree. She is now an active freelance musician in the Midwest and a passionate educator of all things strings but especially the double bass!
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As an administrator, Hollie is the Learning Programs Coordinator at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Chief Operations Officer at Through the Staff, an organization that provides free lessons virtually to students all across the country.
As a performer, Hollie has played with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra as their principal bass. She is also an avid new music supporter. To date, Hollie has given the world premiere of 4 new solo bass and chamber works with both New Downbeat and Bass Players for Black Composers at the International Society of Bassists Convention in 2023.
A fun fact about Hollie is that her first instrument was the violin and she still loves playing fiddle music today!
Contact Hollie: hollie@cincinnatistringproject.org