Composer, Producer, Performer
Catherine
Hiltz
Selected Works
About
There are many hats to wear in the music industry, and Catherine has worn a lot of them. Growing up in a family of professional musicians, Catherine’s childhood was full of music lessons, rehearsals, and RCM exams – their main focus was on the cello, but they took home most instruments from their aunt’s high school band room. After a school teacher introduced them to The Beatles, Catherine’s love of the guitar blossomed, and they haven’t looked back.
Catherine’s adulthood began by studying guitar performance at jazz school, but took a detour when they discovered the indie music scene: they were enamoured with playing in bands and living in vans. Catherine’s 18 years of performing in rock bands, cover bands, and with pop artists have taken them to stages across Europe, South Asia, and North America. They have had the privilege of performing with notable artists Tegan and Sara, Jill Barber, Rae Spoon, Mathew V, Queer As Funk, The Sojourners, Khari McClelland, and many others. They have worked alongside respected producers Sylvia Massey (Johnny Cash, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Alex Hope (Tegan and Sara, Alanis Morissette), and Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, Mother Mother).
In 2020, Catherine turned their focus to film composition and production. This was where their formal classical and jazz training, rock and pop performance history, multi-instrumentalism, indie sensibility, and love for music technology merged. Just as comfortable in a string quartet as a rhythm section, Catherine’s music authentically and effortlessly enhances any musical context. Recent film and TV credits include CTV’s Farming For Love (CTV, 2023), The Hallmark Channel’s Carrot Cake Murder, Zest For Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (Hallmark, 2023), and Crazy8s Film iDorothy (Luvia Petersen, 2021). Catherine’s deep understanding of the job at hand combined with a love for The Beatles and Radiohead shape their ability to create modern and polished compositions flavoured by lush harmonies, sophisticated guitar textures, nuanced strings, warm enveloping synths, agile bass, and a willingness to be bold when the situation allows.
Catherine gratefully acknowledges that they reside on unceded and occupied xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musquem), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) territories, often working or travelling on lands of the Stó:lō – hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Kwantlen) and Máthxwi (Matsqui), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Semyome (Semiahmoo), and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) territories. They were born in Treaty 6 territory. They are committed to the learning necessary to decolonize both their artistic practice and daily life. They are deeply devoted to working with and serving marginalized communities, with a particular focus on helping share the stories of their own 2SLGBTQI+ community.
Playing/
Production
Catherine has shared the stage and studio with a number of artists, including Tegan and Sara, Jill Barber, Rae Spoon, Mathew V, The Sojourners, Khari McClelland, Vox Rea, and various 604 Records artists, as well as being a member of event band Queer As Funk. Catherine has worked with producers Sylvia Massey (Johnny Cash, Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Alex Hope (Tegan and Sara, Alanis Morisette), Howard Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, Mother Mother), John Collins and David Carswell (Stars, Destroyer, The New Pornographers). Catherine has toured markets in North America, Europe, and South Asia, performing at some of the world's premiere showcase festivals including Primavera Sound (ESP), SXSW (US), Reeperbahn Festival (DE), The Great Escape (UK), Transmusicales (FR), NH7 Weekender (IND). Catherine has opened for Steve Vai, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Electric Six, Ria Mae, Blue Rodeo, Stars, The Ataris, and many more.
As a producer and engineer, Catherine brings her decades of experience as a player and teacher into every session - not afraid to take risks, get weird, and try ideas - all while creating a supportive and celebratory environment by putting the artist’s ease, comfort, and creativity first. Working in both Logic and Pro Tools, her multi-instrumental, multi-genre, and multi-disciplinary history allows her to communicate effectively with musicians and engineers alike. They have mentored with Howard Redekopp, Brian and Caleb Chan (Angry Birds, My Little Pony), Miriam Cutler (RBG, Dark Money) , Michael Creber (k.d. lang, Raffi), and Jane Aurora (Liz Stringer); studying production, engineering, mixing, and film scoring. Catherine's production work has charted in the Earshot Top 10 (Britt AM - Gold). As a transcriber and engraver, Catherine created the Rae Spoon Songbook, a 110-song book spanning the entirety of Rae Spoon’s musical career.
