Stridulation by Katinka Kleijn (2026) is a new work for string quartet, electronics, resonating body and narration. Part of the Formosa Quartet’s American Mirror Project, which explores questions of history, identity, and the meaning of "America" through personal reflections collected from local communities, Stridulation offers different angles of juxtaposition between these collected texts and the concepts of reflection and mirroring, utilizing sonified words and rhythm of speech, internal processes for improvisation, composed sound forms, and the physicality of vibration and amplification. Stridulation takes its inspiration from crickets — some of Earth's first sound communicators — and the fascinating periodicity of their song: how it affects our physical ear canal and psyche, how their files and scrapers resemble the bow and string of a string instrument, a vocal chord and its breath, and how their nightly song can offer a sonic bird's-eye perspective. Amid diverse reflections about America, the crickets return each night — periodic, impartial, ancient.
Katinka Kleijn and Lia Kohl’s shared practice explores vulnerability and resilience through the cello as an object, a body, and a sound-making tool. Water on the Bridge (2019) was created and performed at the Eckhart Park Natatorium as part of Chicago Park District’s ‘Night Out in the Parks’. A surreal and playful exploration of tenderness, violence and letting go through the unlikely pairing of cellos and water, it incorporates elements of theatre, movement, and improvisation. More information about Kohl and Kleijn’s work, and Augmented Geology (2022), a body of work created while in residence in Joshua Tree here.
Conducted Vault (2022) by Katinka Kleijn. Performance for Cellist, Synth and Vault, April 15 2022. Presented by Industry of the Ordinary's 'Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow', Design Museum of Chicago.
In Top Coat for Mylar, Cello and Cellosynth (2023) by Katinka Kleijn, a mylar blanket wrapped around a cello is explored as both as an insulator and a conductor.
In Intelligence in the Human-Machine, co-created by Katinka Kleijn, cello, and Daniel DeHaan, composer, a cellists’ EEG monitored brainwaves respond to words, tasks and musical fragments, triggering live sonic and visual translations of those data.
Scratching by CSO cellist Katinka Kleijn (“Demonstrates that the vagina is a glorious and underexplored sonic pocket “, “the best kind of “fuck you” to Beecham and Solti” —VAN Magazine) is a sound and action work. It is a direct commentary on a famous quote by the late conductor Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961); "Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands and all you can do is scratch it." Kleijn builds immersive multi-channel soundscapes by scratching her body and cello, both sonified by microphones, while realizing actions ridiculed by Beecham. Simultaneously, the actions explore ownership of both bodies. As a result, Beecham and Kleijn approach the cello as a body corollary to the human body in distinctly different approaches. Scratching has been presented at EXPO Chicago and The Momentary Museum at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Conducted Map (2022) by Katinka Kleijn, for map, cellist, synth and copper wires, a live interactive performance engaging with the Chicago map at the Chicago History Museum at Chicago Night of Ideas, May 12, 2022.
The Body as a Variable Resistor for Cellist and Cellosynth (2021) by Katinka Kleijn is a performance in which the bodies of a cellist and a cello share a 9V circuit.
Dai Fujikura, Cello Concerto, Katinka Kleijn, solo cello, Karina Canellakis, conductor, International Contemporary Ensemble, Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY, World Premiere, August 23, 2016
RESIDUUM for Cello and Trash (2022) is an experimental short film created by composer-performer/video artist, Aliya Ultan for cellist/interdisciplinary artist, Katinka Kleijn.
Scratching by CSO cellist Katinka Kleijn (“Demonstrates that the vagina is a glorious and underexplored sonic pocket “, “the best kind of “fuck you” to Beecham and Solti” —VAN Magazine) is a sound and action work. It is a direct commentary on a famous quote by the late conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. Scratching has been presented at EXPO Chicago 2025 and at The Momentary Museum at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Conducted Map (2022) by Katinka Kleijn, for map, cellist, synth and copper wires, a live interactive performance engaging with the Chicago map at the Chicago History Museum at Chicago Night of Ideas, May 12, 2022.
Synthsation (2023) is an action and sound work created by Rin Peisert and Katinka Kleijn, and was premiered at Elastic Arts, Chicago. (Photos by Ricardo Adame)