WHO
WE ARE

Katie Grennan

Katie is committed to sharing the gift of music with others. She has been involved in Sharing Notes for over a decade, first as a volunteer musician, then as a board member, and most recently, has been the Executive Director since 2022.

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Born and raised in Wexford, PA though residing in the Chicagoland area for over a decade, Katie was the fiddler in the popular celtic-fusion band Gaelic Storm for over five years, has recorded a number of solo albums, and currently plays in a number of  musical projects at the forefront of the Celtic and Irish Traditional genres, including Reverie Road, The Bow Tides & Chicago-based STEAM Quartet. 

In 2024, Katie was recognized for her work in the genre and was named Female Musician of the Year by Chicago-based radio program Ireland Tonight. 

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Katie holds a Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Accountancy and Psychology from the University of Notre Dame.

Lauren Hayes

Lauren has been part of Sharing Notes for over 7 years, first as a volunteer musician, then as an Event Leader for our various hospital partners around the city, and finally as the Program Director for the last 2 and a half years. She has been an incredible asset to our organization with her institutional knowledge and passion for making a difference through her music and non-profit management expertise.

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She is also an avid orchestral, chamber, and solo musician, distinguishing herself in the areas of contemporary music, ensemble performance, and harp and piano instruction. She performs frequently with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNow series, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Chicago Composers Orchestra, and served as guest harpist with the Swedish National Orchestra. Most recently, she appeared at Carnegie Hall.

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In addition to performing, she maintains a large private teaching studio in Chicago and was formerly a teaching artist for the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble in Atlanta, GA.

Hayes holds a PD in Orchestral Studies from Roosevelt University (2019), an MA in Harp with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music (2016), and a BM in Harp Performance from the University of Arizona (2014).