Herine Coetzee Koschak

Cellist
Director of Artistic Programming

An avid conversationalist, cellist Herine Coetzee Koschak is on a lifelong quest to engage in meaningful and personal exchanges through music. Herine is a founding member of Fifth House Ensemble and is regularly heard on local and national radio stations and concert stages, as well as on the Cedille record label. As a passionate advocate of music education in underserved communities, Herine joined the faculty of the Merit School of Music in 2002 and served as Co-Director of the Suzuki-Alegre Strings Program and the String Department Chair from 2010-2014. She has appeared as a featured soloist with numerous orchestras including the National Repertory Orchestra, the Nittany Valley Symphony, and International Chamber Artists. Herine has held titled positions in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the National Repertory Orchestra, and has also performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the renowned new music ensemble, eighth blackbird. An Indiana University alumna, her principal teachers were Janos Starker and Emilio Colon. She resides in Deerfield, IL with her husband and young son, with whom she shares a love of Nutella.