Katharina Engelbrecht was born in Vienna in 1987 and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Marina Sorokowa and at the University of Music in Cologne with Zakhar Bron, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Music University of Vienna with Anton Sorokow and in chamber music with Johannes Meissl. She has won multiple prizes at national and international competitions such as Gradus ad Parnassum, Fritz Kreisler Competition Vienna, Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach.

At the age of 18 she made her debut with Mendelssohn’s violin concerto in the Grand Hall of the Wiener Musikverein. As a soloist she has played with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, Carinthian Symphony Orchestra, the Kaunas Chamber Orchestra, Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra and the Alpe-Adria Orchestra, among others.

As a member of the Stratos Quartet, founded in spring 2013, Katharina has won several prizes in international competitions such as the Int. Città di Pinerolo e Turino Competition (Italy), the M-Prize Competition (Michigan/US) or the Beethoven Competition in Luslawicze (Poland). Concert appearances have taken the young artist as a soloist and chamber musician next to the Wiener Musikverein and Konzerthaus in the Wigmore Hall London, Gulbenkian Lisbon, Casa do Musica Porto and the Konzerthaus Berlin.

Katharina Engelbrecht was a violinist in the stage orchestra of the Vienna State Opera from 2013-2018. Since March 2018 she is a member of the 1st violin section in the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and in April 2021 she was accepted as member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.