Christine Witkowski

Christine Witkowski is a musician, educator, and organizational strategist. She is the founder and principal of Caesura, a strategy consulting firm that supports enterprises in truly impacting their communities.

Ms. Witkowski is the chief impact officer of ArtistYear, a national AmeriCorps initiative dedicated to increasing arts education in Title I schools through a year of national service. In her role, Ms. Witkowski oversees the program’s research and evaluation efforts as it serves 11,000 students annually with weekly arts education.

In 2016 she published El Sistema: Music for Social Change (Omnibus Press), a collection of essays on the practical and philosophical application of community-driven programs for creative youth development. From 2010–15, Ms. Witkowski designed, implemented, and led the Youth Orchestra (YOLA) at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). With a dedicated teaching faculty, grassroots parental support, and multiple partner organizations, YOLA at HOLA became a model program serving hundreds of K–12 students and hosting visitors from over 25 countries.

Ms. Witkowski has served as a lecturer for higher education institutions and has been featured as a speaker at national and international convenings.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a master’s degree from McGill University, and a certification in community counseling from the Southern California Counseling Center. She was an inaugural Sistema Fellow at the New England Conservatory of Music and a New Horizon Fellow at Aspen Music Festival and School.

Ms. Witkowski joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2018.