Catherine Heusner-Willefert, born in France, grew up in Davis. She studied violin and music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (Prep) and earned her Violin Performance Degree at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. After graduating, she travelled to Europe and continued her studies in Paris. In 1985, she returned to California and started playing in orchestras. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the Stockton Symphony for 9 years, and often subbed in the Sacramento Symphony. Currently, she is a member of the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra. She regularly plays with the Sacramento Opera, the Sacramento Choral Society, and the Gold Country Chamber Orchestra. She teaches private lessons in her Davis studio.