Katie A. Berglof is a horn player, musicians' dystonia consultant on her site Living with Embouchure Dystonia, former administrator of the Seattle Symphony, author of the orchestra journal Harpsichords & Hot Sauce where she advocates for reforming orchestra culture, and founder of the musicians' defense fund called Courage Over Silence to support victims of harassment in the classical music industry.
 

As a musician dystonia & injury consultant to brass players, she provides guidance, resources, referrals, advice on recovery, and health information. She has given webinars, lectures, and presentations over musician's dystonia and TMJ, and has been included in dissertations, research, musician health projects, and has served on health panels.
 

Katie earned her bachelor's in music on French horn from the University of Northern Iowa. During her undergraduate studies, she also attended the University of Northern Colorado. Katie played almost exclusively in principal roles despite her introversion. However, she had aspired to become a horn professor someday and originally had a blog about all things horn-related. Her love of horn knowledge and passion to teach resulted in her publication, A Short Guide to Horn Transposition.
 

Unfortunately, Katie started experiencing Focal Task-Specific Embouchure Dystonia symptoms one year before she graduated, and diagnosed in 2011, a year after she graduated. It took two years of solitude for her to collect herself and regain the strength to pursue anything music-related again.
 

Katie eventually went on to pursue graduate studies in instrumental music education at the University of Colorado Boulder leading to a teaching career in 2015. During her time living in Denver Colorado she gained experience working in arts administration alongside teaching; first as a Program Assistant for El Sistema Colorado, and then as an Education Assistant at the University of Denver Newman Performing Arts Center in Community Outreach & Education.

While Katie lived in Colorado, she became a renown advocate for musician dystonia awareness after she started her blog Living with Embouchure Dystonia where viewers followed her documented journal where she wrote blogs and shared videos throughout her journey to recover her playing abilities. She did not think anyone would follow her writing because writing about musician injuries at the time was rather taboo. Unbeknownst, several readers and musicians from around the world started reaching out to connect, or seek help, or to share their stories and relief with finally being able to put a name to their complex disorder.
 

Her blog eventually turned into a YouTube channel, where she shares videos on Embouchure Dystonia rehabilitation, brass injuries, and displays her current playing abilities. Brass Injury & Embouchure Support is the sister-site to her website Living with Embouchure Dystonia.
 

During the pandemic in 2020, Katie founded Musician's Dystonia & Injury Live Talk, where she interviewed twenty-three musicians and performing arts medicine practitioners to shed light on musician's personal experiences with the disorder, while providing health professional's insight. She also administered several emotional support groups and resource groups on Facebook that support musician's with dystonia.
 

With a determination to continue making a difference in the classical music field and musician's lives, in 2021, Katie enrolled in an MFA degree program in Arts Leadership at Seattle University, while also interning in Development Operations at the Seattle Symphony, and Executive Assisting for Byron Schenkman & Friends Chamber Music.

In May 2022 Katie was hired by the Seattle Symphony as their Office Administrator in People & Culture/HR. During her time with the SSO she has served as Interim Executive Assistant to the President & CEO, COVID Coordinator, and Office Assistant. She has also assisted in proctoring five auditions for the SSO, and served as a representative on the Northwest Orchestras Gathering Steering Committee.
 

Katie is certified in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), and has earned professional development credits in HR. In June 2024, Katie left the Seattle Symphony and moved into the HR field as a coordinator to gain more experience in people management & inclusive leadership.

However, her love for music pulled her back into the performing arts sector in December 2024, where she now works for "The labor union behind entertainment", IATSE, where she supports its members across the pudget sound region in its local 802 branch. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, represents over 170,000 professionals working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry across the United States and Canada.
 

In August 2024, Katie started a publication in the form of an orchestra journal called Harpsichords & Hot Sauce. H&HS covers the complex inner workings of orchestra culture through short stories, essays, and memoirs, with a spicy twist.

Katie also started Courage Over Silence, a campaign fundraiser aimed to create a defense fund to help support musicians—survivors, whistleblowers, and advocates—facing harassment, retaliation, or systemic abuse in the classical music industry. The defense fund initiative quickly surpassed raising more than 5K in less than a week, and is still growing.
 

Katie was a finalist for the Assistant General Manager position of the International Women's Brass Conference (IWBC) in May 2023, and a finalist for the International Horn Society's (IHS) Assistant to the Executive Director position in 2024, and nominated for the IHS Advisory Council in 2023.
 

She has been an Advisory Council Member for Arts Education Partnership (AEP), and a Young Professionals Committee member at the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA). She has also been a member of the Seattle Executive Assistant Roundtable, Seattle Performing Arts DEI Roundtable, and was co-coordinator for the Seattle Symphony All Stars Committee. 
 

Katie is currently a member of the Performing Arts Medicine Association and has passed the PAMA and Sports Medicine Health Association's Essentials in Performance Art Health Certification. She is a current member of the League of American Orchestras (LOAO), the Black Orchestral Network (BON), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the International Horn Society (IHS).
 

She is a former member of the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE), and the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME).